Mokuton no Jutsu: Birth of the Female Uzumaki
by Nickie-chan
Summary: Captured by Orochimaru, she had the blood of the Shodaime forcefully pushed into her system. Watch as she grows into a fine kunoichi, complete with the ability to use Mokuton jutsus.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm trying something new so here goes. It's been a while since I wrote ANYTHING.**

It was dark. Only a small yellow dim light shone above the blood soaked bed, sitting in the center of the room. One man was patiently waiting for his work to be done. He stroked his long black hair and grinned from ear to ear when he saw the vial of blood empty into the surgical hose. It flowed downward, and entered into the intended target's body and it was no more. In the center of the bed, sedated heavily into unconsciousness, was a girl. Her long blonde hair was caked with dried blood and her face was caked with sweat, even though she was heavily sedated.

"If this works, then I might be able to do this to myself," the man said to no one in particular. Suddenly the unconscious blonde opened her eyes, her tiny frame cocooned in red faint light, and she let out an ear piercing scream. Just as it came, it ended, and she fell back onto the bed, and was out cold once more. The man ran over to check the readings and meters, and the graphs the machines printed out. He frowned.

"Failed," was the only word he could utter. He proceeded to produce a sharp scalpel and held it close to the young girl's throat. As he was about to run it across the tender skin, a hand stopped him. He turned his head slightly, and smiled at the newcomer.

"Sarutobi-sensei," the man said.

"Orochimaru," the newly revealed Hokage revealed. "It seems you have not changed one bit."

The man, now revealed as the most powerful of the legendary Sannin, just laughed. "I am sorry, sensei, but it seems that I must take my leave."

Then he disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the unconscious blonde and the old man alone. He sighed, and released the long black staff he was holding. It poofed out of existence and changed into large ape with white fur and a Konoha headband around its forehead.

"Sarutobi, this is the second time you have released him," Enma, the white ape commented.

"I know old friend, I just could not do it," the Third replied. He sighed sadly and began to unplug the various devices plugged and stuck into her tiny frame. He stroked her long blonde hair and proceeded to carry her out of the dim room.

"Let's go, Enma," he said, hands covered around the small child protectively. "I have to make sure Orochimaru did nothing dangerous to her."

The ape nodded and poofed out of existence. The old man sighed and made his way to the hospital, not before placing a powerful illusionary spell on the blonde.

**Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Time Skip 4 months later

A blonde boy was running as fast as he can, dodging amateurishly left and right as the drunken mob of civilians and shinobi alike pellet him with weapons and various things. His breath was coming is gasps, his legs were sore and tired from running, but for the sake of life, he dare not to slow down even a little bit. Threads of sweat cover his face, falling onto his eyes, stinging it and forcing him to blink. They were gaining on him, slowly but surely. It won't be long now. The peoples were still chasing him, still throwing things at him. It was at this moment; one of the more experienced ninja jumped up and hurled a handful of shuriken into the air, aimed at the blonde child. He screamed as one of the sharp metal weapons dug deep into his calf, sending him into a crashing halt. The mob gathered around him now, slowly circling him as they cracked their knuckles and readiest their fists and weapons.

'_It has started_,' he thought as he shielded himself from the raining blows and weapons. He knew not to cry out, not to give in to their torture no matter what they did, for if he were to give in, the consequences would be dire for him. As an added bonus, he would not give them the satisfaction of watching him squirm as they plummet him to the ground. Better to die with dignity and pride, then to live and give them the satisfaction that they had him at their mercy, begged for his life. No. he would rather die. Deep in the shadows, a masked man spied on the mob and their actions. He quickly disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was a tired old man. He had hoped to retire, but since the Fourth had died in battle, there had been no suitable candidates to succeed him. He was, at this moment, dealing with the bane of all Kages, the undefeatable enemy of all leaders: paperwork. An ANBU suddenly appeared before him, kneeling.

"Hokage-sama, I bring urgent grave news," the ANBU said. The old man gave a small nod, which was the signal to deliver the news. "The child," started the kneeling man, which earned the attention, full and undivided, of the old leader.

"What has happened?" Sarutobi asked hastily.

"There is a mob," the ANBU started. Sadly, he didn't need to finish as the Hokage already knew what was going on.

"Take a squad! Get him out of there! Immediately!" the old man barked. The ANBU nodded and disappeared.

He returned moments later with the blonde boy safely tucked under his arms, his ninjatou and attire stained with fresh blood.

"Hokage-sama, there were casualties in the mission," reported the ANBU. Sarutobi knew what it meant. It meant that they had to kill the mob to rescue the boy. He nodded and motioned for the ANBU to leave the boy in the office. He then summoned his own personal physician, a woman in her early 40s who was loyal to the old Hokage beyond measure. She took one look at the boy, and sighed as she unpacked her medical supplies. She kneeled beside him, hands formed into a tiger seal and muttered under her breath "Genjutsu Kai." Almost immediately, the injured boy began to change. His hair became long, and was fashioned into a 2 high pigtails. The boyish facial features gave way into a more narrow feminine face, and finally the body took the shape of a little girl.

"How are the injuries?" the old man asked as he peeked over from over the physician's shoulder. The woman shook her head.

"Not unhealable, given her...condition," she answered carefully. "I worry about the mental scarring effect it will have on one so young."

The old man can only sigh.

"She needs to be able to defend herself," she stated flatly as she looked at the tiring Hokage dead in the eye. "She needs to become a kunoichi."

The old man nodded. "I will see to that personally. She will learn to be a kunoichi."


	2. Chapter 2

Time Skip 2 years later….

Naruto sat in Iruka's class as usual, taking the back seat as he usually does. Iruka was teaching the class about the importance of alliances between the Hidden Villages, but Naruto was just not interested. He rested his chin on his hand and his eyes lost focus. It was not long before his mind wandered back into the past events that happened two years ago.

_Flashback_

_She opened her weary eyes as she picked up some voices. Immediately all her senses kicked in, and her body screamed in pain as she awoke to full consciousness. She looked down and saw her whole body was heavily bandaged. She might as well be a mummy. _

"_You are awake, child," the Sandaime asked as he walked up to the side of her bed, and patted her head. She could only nod. _

"_You have suffered heavy physical damage to your limbs," the Hokage's personal physician said as she came into view beside the Hokage. The little blonde looked at her limbs. She couldn't move her right leg, and her left arm was throbbing as if it had a pulse of its own. Her throat was croaking from dryness as she tried to speak, and her upper body was bandaged from the shoulder down and tummy up. It hurt to even breathe. "Broken ribs as well," the physician continued. _

"_Jiji," the young blonde muttered. The old man snapped his head back to look at the blonde. "When can I drop the illusion?" _

"_Naruko, my child," the old man began as he stroked her long blonde hair in a fatherly way. "If you were to drop it now, while you are unable to defend yourself, then the consequences would be even more dire then what you have suffered now." _

"_Sandaime," the physician began. "We must teach her the way of the kunoichi." She looked at the old man with a slight glare in her eyes. The old man could only meet her gaze, and nodded as he sighed. _

"_I agree, Eboshi," the old man replied. "She cannot be disguised under the Genjutsu as a boy forever." _

"_Naruko, for your safety, as well as to prepare you for the eventual release of the illusion, you will have to go through training as a kunoichi. I am afraid that it is the only option that is present," the old man stated as a matter of fact. The blonde nodded and smiled when the old Hokage hugged her tiny frame. _

_Flashback end_

The lecture ended some time ago. Naruto sat as he listened to Iruka babble about another topic – something about the glorious history of the village and how the Shodaime defeated Uchiha Madara all those years ago to bring peace and prosperity to the village. He looked down at his boyish arms. He hated pretending like a boy. SHE did not want to live this but had no choice. If the people were cruel enough to beat down a small boy mercilessly, imagine what they would do to a defenceless little girl. The old man had promised her once she could learn to defend herself properly, she could drop the illusion that has been placed upon her. The old man also said to keep a low profile, to blend in as much as possible and not stand out like a sore thumb. Her training had been progressing along nicely, as the Third has assigned some trusted personnel to oversee her training. It was hard at first, the instructors were ruthless, but they were making sure that she was ready for the next level of training.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class. Naruto got up from his seat and exited the classroom, sliding past everyone, heading to the training grounds. The Third has made it clear how strengths can and cannot be used.

_Flashback_

"_Now, Naruko," he began as he turned around to look at the petite blonde girl aged 6. "As we begin training, I need you to understand this: the strength that we use is not for getting revenge, or is it used to blackmail or threaten people." _

_The blonde looked at the old man curiously, her long silky hair glistening in the sun. "Plenty of people use it like that, jiji," she stated as a matter of fact. _

"_Sadly, yes, they do," the Third replied sadly. "They misuse their strength selfishly. They are blinded by rage, greed, grief. Their need to satisfy their own selfish ego has pushed them to abuse their strengths." _

"_What make me different, jiji?" she asked. "I face the same temptations they face every day. What's stopping me from becoming like them?" _

"_Because, my child, you have the Will of Fire," he answered. The blonde looked genuinely confused at the statement. "The Will of Fire is the will to protect your important friends and loved ones from danger. Only then the true extent of your strength can be seen."_

"_Who is important to you then?" she asked the old man. The old man paused._

"_Well, first there's my grandson," he began. "Then you." He pointed to her. "And the rest of the village."_

_Naruko smiled happily when she heard his answer. "Jiji, you're important to me too!" she exclaimed as she gave the old man a big hug. _

"_Alright, Naruko, we have to start on your training," the old Hokage said as he released the girl from the hug. "Now, the first lesson in the way of the ninja: Taijutsu."_

_Flashback End_

Naruto walked pass the Uchiha compound on his way back home from his training. This was not the usual route he took but something made him go this way. It was unexplainable, like a gut feeling tugging at his body. The golden sun was setting, emitting an orange warm glow that will soon fade into the darkness and surrender its reign to the night sky. She spotted a familiar face as she walked past the main gates into the compound, which was more like a village itself rather than a clan compound.

"Itachi-san," Naruto called out the person. The said person responded by looking down at him. Naruto noticed something wrong with him today. Itachi seemed to be slightly tense, like he is preparing for a major battle.

"Naruto-kun," Itachi said. "What brings you here?"

"Not much," the young blonde answered. "Just thought I tried a different route back home today."

He looked carefully at the Uchiha prodigy again. Something was off with him. Naruto could feel it in his soul.

"Am I going to see you again, Itachi-san?" he asked out of the blue. Itachi was caught off guard by the question. But nonetheless, he bent down and stroked his blonde hair.

"I will be gone for a long time," Itachi answered, causing Naruto to frown. "But, one day, I will see you again, when the time is right, Naruko-chan." He whispered the last part into her ear. She hugged him in return. Itachi was one of the few people who knew Naruko instead of Naruto, and it made sense because Itachi taught Naruto ninjutsu and taijutsu.

"I will miss you, Itachi-san," he said as he hugged the older boy. "I love you. You're like a brother to me."

"Naruko-chan, just remember this," he whispered. "No matter what I am doing, no matter what, I will always protect you in anyway I can. I will miss you."

The following morning, news spread around the whole village that Itachi had mercilessly murdered his whole clan, leaving only his brother alive.


	3. Chapter 3

Time Skip 6 Years Later

Naruto ran from tree to tree as she circled the training ground. This man, Kakashi, was giving her a hard time. He was skilled as hell, and a tiny bit arrogant. His supposed teammates were also hiding away, thinking of a way to snatch the bells from that man's waist. He stopped on a branch as he tried to think of a way to outsmart the silver haired man. He sighed as he couldn't think of any. After what happened last night, he was tired both physically and mentally. Last night was definitely not a good night for him. Secrets were revealed, and it took a toll on him mentally.

_Flashback _

_He ran as fast as he could knowing the consequences if he was caught by the people chasing him. The Forbidden Scroll was strapped to his back tightly. He already read the contents of the scroll, some of it anyways. There wasn't enough time to read the scroll entirely. But Mizuki, the traitor shinobi, had caught him before he could escape. _

"_Hand over the scroll, brat," he barked at the blonde. Naruto looked up at the branch he was standing on from the ground, and scowled. _

"_You tricked me," he said. "I won't hand it over to you." Naruto took his stance. He was about to attack when Iruka came from nowhere and stood between him and Mizuki. _

"_Naruto, run!" he exclaimed as he took his stance against Mizuki. "Get the scroll back to the Hokage."_

_Naruto nodded and was about to leave when Mizuki laughed. It was evil and it was chilling. "Oh, Iruka, I thought you would use this chance to take revenge for your parents' deaths."_

_Iruka and Naruto froze. "After all, the Kyuubi is right here with us!" he shouted as he pointed to Naruto._

"_Iruka-sensei, what is he talking about?" Naruto asked, his voice shaking. His heart was pumping hard when he saw Iruka's arm. His kunai was held tightly in his hand, so tight it was almost turning white. His whole arm was shaking. _

"_Come on, Iruka, you will NEVER get another chance like this again!" Mizuki hollered. He pointed to Naruto. _

"_YOU!" he shouted. "Do you know why people hunt you down like a dog you are? Why they beat you to death like a piece of worthless shit?" _

_Naruto's eyes widened. Things were starting to come together, like pieces of a puzzle. It was suddenly all making sense now. The beatings, the spitting, the need to hide the REAL gender, and the name calling. It was clear as the cloudless day and the starless night. _

"_BECAUSE!" Mizuki yelled. "ARE THE DEMON FOX KYUUBI! YOU HAVE IT SEALED INTO YOUR BODY!"_

"_Is it true?" the young man asked. The sky had begun to rain, masking away the tears that flowed down his whiskered cheeks. He knew it was true, yes he did. But he wanted confirmation, for comfort's sake. In his heart, he wished it wasn't. But it wasn't to be. It was the way things were. _

"_I'm sorry, Naruto," Iruka began. "The Kyuubi is inside you, sealed by none other than the Yondaime." _

_Naruto plopped to the ground in defeat, as the torrent of rain increased into a thunderstorm. The three persons were soaked from head to toe, and Iruka turned to see the blonde boy. _

"_I have never once thought you as the demon fox," Iruka began. Naruto looked upward to meet his gaze. "While I wish I could kill the demon with my bare hands, I recognize that you are not him. You are but a child, Naruto, who has been unlucky enough to be chosen as the jailor of a demon. It was not your fault my parents died."_

"_Iruka, my friend," Mizuki taunted. "So weak. Vengeance is right in front of you and you chickened out like a little bitch!" _

_Iruka turned and took a battle stance. _

"_No matter," the traitorous ninja said. "You both shall die by my hand!" _

_Mizuki proceeded to grab the Fuuma Shuriken and tossed it in Iruka's direction. Iruka moved to block it, but it was a decoy as Mizuki suddenly appeared behind Iruka, slashing across his back. Iruka screamed as the blade sliced along his flesh, drawing blood. Iruka fell to the ground, unable to move his limbs from pain. Naruto watched in horror as the events unfolded right before his eyes. _

"_Naruto!" Iruka shouted. "RUN!" _

_Naruto contemplated on what to do. On one hand, the Scroll was valuable, and the ninja in front of him wants to kill him to get it. On the other hand, leaving will guarantee Iruka's death. He remembered the old man Hokage's words ringing in his head. 'Protect the people that are important to you. Because they define who you are.'_

_Naruto took a battle stance as Mizuki approached. The traitorous ninja took another Fuuma Shuriken and jumped into the air, tossing it down towards him. Naruto back flipped to avoid being hit. _

"_Genjutsu Kai," he muttered. Suddenly his boyish features disappeared and gave way for more feminine looks. Her hair was no longer spiky, but in two pigtails that were well past her back. She was wearing battle shorts that covered a third of her thighs under a black mini skirt and a green tee shirt with short sleeves. _

"_OH!" Mizuki suddenly exclaimed. "The Kyuubi is a girl! Imagine what the people will do to her!"_

_Iruka was dumbstruck. He couldn't speak as he saw the girl in front of his eyes. Millions of thoughts raced through his head but he was settling on one thought. 'Naruto's a girl?"_

"_I wanted to show you the real me," Naruko said. "Before I take your life." _

_Mizuki smirked. He quickly formed hand seals, ending with the tiger seal. Iruka eyes widened. _

"_NARUTO!" he yelled. "BE CAREFUL!" _

"_**Katon! Gokakyuu no jutsu!" **__A giant fireball released from Mizuki's mouth and rushed towards Naruko. _

_Naruko, seeing the incoming inferno, quickly ran her hands through some seals and quickly slammed both her hands onto the ground. _

"_**Doton! Doro Gaeshi!" **_

_Naruko pulling a huger rectangular piece of the earth, making it stand upright, blocking the incoming fireball. Earth and fire collided in a huge boom, and Naruko found herself flying back a few feet as she landed after back flipping. As soon as she has landed, her hands completed another series of seals. _

"_**Suiton! Mizurappa!" **_

_A powerful jet of water erupted from Naruko's mouth, traveling as great speeds towards the intended target. Mizuki jumped up a tree to avoid the attack. It turned out to be the prudent decision, as the area he was standing was now a small sized crater. Before the traitor ninja could react, Naruko was already done with her hand seals. _

"_**Katon! Endan!" **_

_A jet of fire launched towards Mizuki, who quickly rushed through his seals as well. _

"_**Katon! Goukakyuu!" **_

_As fire met with fire, there was a battle for dominance as the two ninjas struggled to push chakra into their attacks. Naruko was tiring after ten straight minutes of continuously channeling chakra into her__** Endan.**__ Sweat was already dropping like water from her forehead and her tiny frame, and she knew she did not have much more to burn. Mizuki on the other hand, while also tiring, was not as bad as his young opponent. He pressed his advantage when he saw Naruko's chakra was not as strong as before, channeling more into his __**Goukakyuu **__as it began to overpower the __**Endan. **__The uphill battle was taking its toll on Naruko. Her chakra was almost depleted and her vision began to blur as she fought to maintain her __**Endan**__ against her opponent's __**Gokakyuu. **__Mizuki was getting frustrated at the young girl's persistence in holding the __**Endan. **__He pushed more chakra into the __**Gokakyuu, **__pressuring Naruko as she tried her best to hold back the incoming inferno. It was at this moment, Iruka recovered from his back injury enough to manage to toss a kunai towards the concentrating Mizuki. He dispelled the __**Gokakyuu **__ to block it, and Naruko seized this opportunity and pushed every last bit of chakra she could spare into her __**Endan, **__and the inferno suddenly flew towards Mizuki at undodgable speeds, completely engulfing him in flames. When the flames died down, only ashes remained, and the melted remains of what was once a Konoha headband. Naruko, now seeing her opponent defeated, passed out from exhaustion. _

_Flashback end_

Kakashi has just about beaten Sakura to the ground. Who knew a simple Genjutsu could have taken her out like a burned bulb. Sasuke, the rookie of the year, was nowhere in sight as Naruto scanned the battlegrounds. Kakashi was reading his orange 'entertainment' book as he was waiting for a move from the three genin. Naruto was hiding in a tree, not moving much since the test started forty five minutes ago. As soon as Sasuke attacked, Naruto moved. Sasuke fought off Kakashi as he portrayed his skills from taijutsu to ninjutsu in the form of a **Gokakyuu**. Kakashi dove underground to avoid the fireball. Naruto used the opportunity to quickly rush in and grab Sakura from the ground, making a beeline for the trees. He placed her unconscious body on a tree branch and proceeded to pinch her nose and cover her mouth. The lack of oxygen forced Sakura awake, but before she could scream, Naruto clamped her mouth shut with his hand. He placed his hand on his lips, telling her to be silent. Sakura nodded and Naruto released his hand.

"Don't move," he said. "Sasuke's in trouble."

"We have to go help him," Sakura whispered strongly. Naruto nodded.

"I will rescue him," Naruto stated. "But we cannot defeat this man alone. He is far too powerful for even a jounin to fight, let alone three academy graduates."

This caught Sakura's attention. Her mind began to twist and turn as she analyzed the battleground. _'Something's not right,' _Sakura thought. _'It feels like I am missing something important, its right in front of me, smacking me hard but I just can't see it!'_

Naruto suddenly jumped out from the tree, catching Kakashi, who was overpowering Sasuke in taijutsu by surprise. Naruto already had completed his seals and attacked.

"**Katon! Endan!" **

Kakashi's eyes widened as the fireball burned the distance to him at alarming rates. He jumped back to avoid becoming ash, and Naruto took this moment to grab Sasuke by the neck and disappeared into the trees.

Back in the trees, the trio were caught in a small heated discussion.

"Let go of me!" Sasuke demanded. Naruto tried to hush him but he kept struggling. Sakura was trying her best to calm the situation but it was not working well. Finally she snapped and bonked both Naruto and Sasuke's head. That did the trick.

"Stop it!" she whispered strongly. "Both of you!"

When both of the boys had calmed down, Sakura began explaining softly.

"I have figured out the trick behind the test, thanks to Naruto's hint," Sakura explained.

"I never gave you a hint," he stated.

"Remember when you said that it was impossible to defeat this man alone?" she asked. Naruto's eyes widened and he smiled. Sasuke caught on and smirked.

"Guys, you only have 5 minutes left to the time," Kakashi said to no one in particular as he read his book without worry. As soon as he said that, Kakashi noticed movement from the corner of his left eye. He turned to look but only saw a swinging log. A gut instinct told him to jump. It was a correct decision as Sakura was only inches from the bells strapped at his waist.

"Tsch, so close," she said as she landed. She timed Kakashi's landing and tossed a few kunai forward, predicting his landing time on the ground. The kunai sunk into Kakashi's flesh moments later, but it turned into a log. Sakura suddenly dodged as Kakashi attempted to catch her from behind with a grapple. She rolled to safety and smirked. Kakashi dodged backwards as Naruto suddenly burst out from the ground, hands outstretched as he attempted to grab the bells from below.

"Sasuke! NOW!" Naruto shouted. Kakashi felt something behind and turned. He saw an incoming fireball and dodged to his left as Naruto ducked back into his hole as the fireball passed him by. As soon as Kakashi 's feet touched the ground, Sakura lunged for his body. She managed to grab his foot, surprising him a little. Naruto took this moment to catch him in a full nelson grapple from behind, running his hands below his arms and circling to his neck before securing it in a grapple. He scissored his legs around Kakashi's waist. This technique effectively immobilized three of his four limbs. Sasuke then made a mad dash for the bells, but Kakashi moved his body out of his reach using his one good leg. Sasuke stretched his hand, but just as he seemed like he succeeded in grabbing the bells, he missed and tumbled to the ground.

The alarm rang. The trio looked at the clock in disbelief. One thought passed through their minds. _'We failed.´_

Naruto and Sakura released their hold on the older man and flopped onto the ground, dejected.

"We failed," Sakura stated.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, Sakura," Naruto apologized. "We were so close."

"It isn't your fault, blondie," Sasuke said as he sat down beside his teammates. "We may not have passed today, but for once in my life, I know how to trust in friends again."

The three young ninja smiled. Kakashi's cough brought them back into reality. What he said next brought joy to the three pre-teen.

"You passed."

Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke jumped for joy as they reeled in the enjoyment that they were officially ninjas.

"I was surprised to see your chemistry together," Kakashi said. "You three have the makings of great shinobi."

The tree ninjas stood side by side and smiled proudly.

"Now remember my advice, children," Kakashi motioned them to listen. "In life, we work hard to achieve all our goals. It may be frustrating at first, but if you put your mind to it, not even the tallest mountains can stand in your way."

The three newly appointed ninjas nodded.

"Dismissed," Kakashi said casually as he waved his hand. The trio left to celebrate the happy occasion.

Kakashi thought about his new students. While their teamwork was good, there were some things that needed to be refined. And refining must start with the person itself. Kakashi thought back to the day before, when they were introducing themselves.

_Flashback _

"_Alright kids, introduce yourselves," Kakashi said with a bored tone. _

"_Sensei," Sakura raised her hand. "Can you demonstrate once?" _

_Kakashi sighed. "My name Hatake Kakashi. I like some things and dislike some things. My dreams are restricted to my own knowledge. Your turn."_

_The trio sweat dropped. They only got his name out of all that. _

"_My name is Uzumaki Naruto," the blonde ninja began. "I like ramen and people who are dear to me. I dislike people abusing their strengths for their own greed and selfish needs. My dream is to be able to have the strength to protect all who I hold dear." _

"_My name is Haruno Sakura," Sakura stated. "I like to read books and I really like to take Sasuke-kun on a date! I dislike perverts. My dream is to become a strong kunoichi and if possible, Mrs Uchiha!" Sakura said the last part with some embarrassment. _

"_My name is Uchiha Sasuke," the raven haired boy said. "I have few likes and many dislikes. My dream is twofold, to find out why my brother killed my clan, and to take revenge. Second is to resurrect my clan." _

_Flashback End_

Kakashi sighed.

"It's going to be a long, painful road," he muttered as he looked up at the sky.

**Jutsu Translation:**

**Katon: Endan – Fire Style: Fireball**

**Katon: Gokakyuu – Fire Style: Grand Fireball**

**Suiton: Mizurappa – Water Style: Violent Water Wave**

**Doton: Doro Gaeshi – Earth Style: Mud Overturn**


	4. Chapter 4

Iruka strolled down the streets of Konoha's bazaar. It was crowded as people flocked to buy the goods sold there. Every weekend the bazaar burst into life, teeming with foreign and local merchants alike. Iruka thought back to the events after the horrendous battle with Mizuki. Naruto was not Naruto, but Naruko, a girl.

_Flashback_

_Iruka tried his best to stand up. But something must have been pressed against his nerves or something severed, because the feeling in his left foot and right arm was minimal. It was almost as if they didn't exist. Somehow, he was able to stand, pressing his weight on his right leg as he held a giant tree branch for a crutch in his left. His steps were slow and unsteady, but somehow he managed to walk to where Naruko was. _

_She was passed out from chakra exhaustion. Her breathing was ragged and quick. Iruka touched her forehead with the back of his palm. He frowned as it was warm. Naruko has used too much chakra in the battle and is suffering from minor chakra withdrawal. She had chakra burns on both her palms and parts of her face from the extensive use of the Katon jutsu. _

_Iruka carried her with his good hand, tucked under his arms as he fought from passing out from the bleeding wound from his back. He headed or the Hokage's office, as this is delicate matter regarding an S-class secret- the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. _

_To say the Hokage was worried was an understatement. He was pacing left and right inside his office, waiting for the ninjas he dispatched out to report in. It had been quite some time already, but no one had reported in. _

_Iruka suddenly barged in the door, swinging his crutch at the Hokage's assistant menacingly as the young woman tried to block his entry. _

"_Hokage-sama!" he screamed. "I have the Forbidden Scroll with me!" _

"_Leave us," the old man ordered his assistant. The woman nodded and promptly exited the room, but not before giving Iruka a glare, slamming the door on her way out. _

"_Hokage-sama," he began as he released Naruko from his hold. The Hokage took her immediately, and placed her on the couch. _

"_Oh, I am so going to regret this," the old man said as he took out a scroll. He unwrapped it, and revealed the content inside. It bore the kanji for 'Man' in the center, surrounded by two half drawn semi circles and many other incantations and seals. _

"_**Kuchiyose no jutsu." **_

_A middle aged woman appeared in the room. She was dressed in a black kimono and a white lab coat. She looked at the office before turning to the Hokage and glared at him. _

"_What would you have done if I was naked?!" he scolded both men. Both men turned beet red and looked away from the physician. _

"_I am aware that possibility exists," the Hokage said. "I would not have risked summoning you if it was not important." _

"_Eboshi-sama," Iruka said, getting both their attentions. "About Naruto's condition…" He left the sentence hanging. Eboshi turned to the couch, where Naruko laid unconscious. Her hands began to glow green as she slowly healed her injuries. _

"_Chakra exhaustion," she stated. "How did she get chakra exhaustion?"_

"_Well, Mizuki had tricked her into stealing the Scroll for him," Iruka began as he thought back to the battle. "Naruto wouldn't hand it over once she found out, so they fought. I tried to interfere as well, hoping to buy time for her to run, but was easily defeated. Naruto battled Mizuki before eventually killing him with a Katon jutsu."_

"_It still doesn't answer why she used up all her chakra," Eboshi stated as her brows furrowed. _

"_Well, at the same time Naruto casted the __**Endan, **__Mizuki casted __**Gokakyuu **__to fight. They were at a standstill for quite some time. Naruto eventually found an opportunity in Mizuki's lapse of concentration and pushed all her chakra into the technique, effectively killing Mizuki," Iruka explained. _

_To say the lady was furious was a major understatement. _

"_ARE YOU BOTH CRAZY?" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She pointed a finger at Iruka. "WHY DID YOU NOT STOP THEM? YOU ARE BOTH EXTREMELY LUCKY THE COLLISSION DID NOT CAUSE A MASSIVE FIREBALL EXPLOSION!" _

_The Hokage was silent as he smoked on his wooden pipe. This was something he did not expect from his ninjas. _

"_Tell me exactly what happened," Sarutobi ordered sternly. Iruka nodded and started telling the story as Eboshi worked on Naruko's injuries. She analyzed the young blonde girl in front of her. The chakra burns on her palms and around her face was a small problem, as it can be healed easily by a skilled medic such as herself or Tsunade. The chakra exhaustion however, is another problem. To a normal person, chakra exhaustion will require weeks to heal. It simply was just not something a normal person could cope with. That was the reason soldier pills were invented. _

"_Iruka," Eboshi began, causing Iruka to stop midsentence and looked at her. Suddenly she was in front of him, her hands around his neck in a light chokehold. "IF you ever tell anyone that Naruto is a girl…" She tightened her hold on the young chuunin's neck to emphasize her point. Iruka only nodded. _

"_Iruka," the Hokage said, catching his attention. "Both of you had a hard day. Keep this a secret, Iruka, and go get some rest."_

_Iruka nodded and left for the hospital. _

_Flashback End _

Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, sighed as Eboshi worked on Naruko in his office. It was needed as Naruko couldn't go to the hospital. People would not react well to the Jinchuuriki in a public hospital where the people are treated. It would cause a massive uproar and by god it would not end well for anyone.

"Eboshi," Sarutobi called. The physician only hummed in recognition. "Tell me how is she faring."

"I am telling you Sarutobi," she said sternly, using his name to express her annoyance. "She is lucky to be alive. I have given her some soldier pills as well as a suddenly chakra injection into her seven gates to get her chakra going. But if it happens again….it was already too close. A normal doctor would have given up."

Sarutobi nodded as he sighed with some relief.

"However, if it happens again…"Eboshi didn't need to finish the sentence. It was already obvious. "I can't always be there, Sandaime. Even if I want to be."

Sandaime sighed again. It was his second sigh in only a few seconds. Things were not as easy as they used to be for him when he was younger.

"Say, Sandaime," Eboshi called, causing the older man to give her his full and undivided attention. "Was it really wise to seal Naruko's power and memories away?"

Sandaime looked down on the ground as he smoked his pipe. "You know it needed to be done. I no longer have the power to kill Orochimaru. And Orochimaru wants power. The Shodaime's ability while is present in Yamato, was never as powerful as Harashima himself. Naruko on the other hand, because of what is inside her, the DNA that Orochimaru placed inside Naruko has merged completely with her own, making it an equal to Harashima himself. She might as well be her great granddaughter."

"Orochimaru would want that power, wouldn't he?" Eboshi stated. "The power that defeated Uchiha Madara."

The silence that followed spoke thousands as both physician and Hokage could only look at each other.

"One day, Saidaime," Eboshi warned. "She will release the seal. Be it intended, or not. Then her memories will return."

"I pray with all my heart and soul that day will never come," Sandaime said.

Iruka put his hand on his torso, feeling the bandages through his blue shirt. It wasn't so much his abdomen that hurt, it was his back. It was a lucky break as the slash he received missed his spine by 2 inches, otherwise he would have been handicapped in some form.

His stomach was grumbling, reminding him of the time of the day. His legs instinctively walked to one of his favorite places for food- the Ichiraku Ramen Stand in the centre of the bazaar. It was easy since he was already there in the bazaar, but his mind kept wandering to his disguised student. He just couldn't stop thinking about her- not in a sexual way. He sat down at one of the chairs and ordered the usual thing he had – chashew ramen. As he began to eat the delicious noodles, his spirits lifted as he slowly forgot about his student.

"Iruka-sensei," a voice suddenly rang out softly. Iruka looked up from his ramen bowl and turned to the direction of the sound. Blonde spiky hair greeted him, along with clear cerulean blue eyes.

"Naruto," Iruka acknowledged. "I assume you want to talk about the battle?"

The nodded from the boy confirmed his question. Iruka motioned for him to sit down beside him, which he accepted.

"I wanted to clear the air with you, Iruka-sensei," Naruto explained as the waitress took his order. "There are things which I kept secret from the world. From everyone."

"I saw the Genjutsu Kai, Naruto," Iruka said. "I know what you are."

"You know what happened to me, Iruka-sensei," Naruto stated. "People cannot know the real me. You were not supposed to know either."

Iruka winced. "Not everyone despises you."

"It is hard to tell who is who, especially if most of the time people attack me," Naruto stated, his voice shivering slightly.

"Can you risk it, Iruka-sensei?" he asked, gripping his tea cup tightly. "Can you risk telling people you are a girl, if you were in my position? I would not like to think of the most possible outcome."

Iruka could only nod. It would be foolhardy to risk telling people the Jinchuuriki is a girl, especially when the wounds of the night of the Kyuubi attack are so fresh. Oh, it would definitely not end well.

"I meant what I said at the forest, you know," Iruka said he looked the blonde boy beside him. "While you are its jailor, and the closest thing in the universe at the moment to the Kyuubi, you are not him."

"I know," Naruto answered. "I knew you meant it, Iruka-sensei. It was why I dropped the illusion."

Both ninjas smiled at each other, before enjoying the ramen and each other's silent company in comfort. It was a good day indeed.

That night, while Naruko was in bed, she kept turning and tossing. She didn't know why, but her heart was beating loud and fast. Sweat covered every inch of her body, soaking the sheets as well as the blankets. Her breathing was ragged and hushed. Something was about to happen, something big- she could feel it in her bones. It was calling out to her. Something massive was about to hit her. But she just didn't know was it was. She felt that it was so close, so very close. It was a familiar feeling, somehow she felt like she knew this feeling before. But for the life of her, she just couldn't remember what the hell it was.


	5. Chapter 5

**Work has me on a run. I hadn't had much sleep lately, so…Anywho..on with it!**

"Hot Blonde reporting in," a voice said over a radio transmission. "I'm in position, over."

"Sexy Pink reporting in," another voice announced over the same radio transmission. "I'm in position too, over."

"Awkward Raven, reporting in," a third voice said. "Seriously, guys, I am picking the code names next time."

"In position," a lazy voice announced. "Target located. Prepare to move in."

The four people readied their bodies to move.

"NOW!" the lazy voice commanded. Instantly, the four people leapt, with their hands outstretched.

Moments later, Naruto and his teammates were struggling on the ground, wrestling with a really fat cat, which seemed to be trying everything in its power to escape. She scratched the three rookies, swinging her claws wildly as she tried her best to wriggle free from the six hands that struggled to hold her.

After a few minutes of wrestling on the ground, which kicked out a cloud of dust, they managed to hold the cat by its limbs and tie it with ninja wire. Kakashi looked at the three ninjas under him and smiled under his mask.

The three rookie ninjas slumped to the ground in a tired heap. Their faces and hands were decorated with scratches, cat hair, cat pee and cat saliva. It was definitely not a good day for them. The cat was currently on the ground, lying on its sides, ninja wires binding all four limbs together. Even then it was hissing and meowing, growling as much as possible as it struggled to free itself from its bonds.

Naruto and his friends each had an evil smirk on their faces as they saw the cat get crushed in a hug by its owner, the Fire Daimyo's wife. As the cat struggled for its breath, crushed under its owner's fat flabby but somehow strong arms, the three ninjas had a wonderful feeling inside their chests.

'_Suffer, insolent animal. Suffer as you have made us suffer,' _were the thoughts of the three scratched up genin.

"Now that you have successfully completed the mission, I shall have another one for you immediately," Sandaime announced behind his table as he unrolled the scroll which contained D-ranked missions.

"Jiji, if you dare give us any more missions from that bloody scroll, I will find all your 'entertainment' books and burn them to ashes so fast you wouldn't have time to even move," Naruto threatened.

"Naruto!" Iruka shouted. And so the lecture began. Naruto's eyes blurred as his thoughts began to fly and wander from as Iruka talked about the ranks of missions and the ninjas that are required to complete them safely. His voice was now a blurry sound, distant as he lost focus from the real world.

_Da-bum!_

A sound caught his attention.

_Da-bum!_

It was like a heartbeat. Suddenly his surroundings faded into black as he suddenly found himself in a room with pipes. Water dripped from the pipes, and that was the only sound present in the room. Naruto looked at his hands. They were feminine. She touched her hair. It was long with two pigtails. She panicked as she looked around. She sighed in relief as there appeared to be nobody but her. A tree appeared within her line of sight, coming into focus slowly. What she saw surprised her. The tree was massive, really massive. It looked like it lived forever. Its trunk alone was wide, needing a good thirty seconds to completely walk around it. Its spread was wide, covering as much as the eye could see. It looked like a giant worldly umbrella. Right in the center of the trunk, was a giant piece of paper. On it was the kanji for 'Seal'.

_Da-bum!_

It was that sound again. The sound of heartbeat caught her attention again. She turned to the tree. She could feel it, but not completely. The tree felt familiar. It was that feeling she seemed to always get, but couldn't really place it. It seemed like it was part of her, but at the same time it feels so cut off from her. It was so confusing. But just as soon as it came, it was gone.

Naruto suddenly found himself back in the mission room. His breathing was suddenly quicker, but he managed to keep it down so that the people around him didn't notice.

"So this is the team you assigned to me?" he heard a voice complain. Naruto looked up and saw an old man. He had a sake bottle in his hand and was clearly drunk. "Doesn't seem to look like much, especially the short blonde boy."

"Old man, I can fight better drunk then you can walk sober," Naruto said acidly.

"Now, now, Naruto," Kakashi berated. "He's our customer. We have to treat him nicely."

Ignoring Kakashi, Naruto asked "What is the mission?"

"Your mission," Iruka said as he rubbed his temples. "Is to protect this man from harm until he completes the bridge linking the Wave Country to the mainland."

"Seriously?" Tazuna whined. "You're giving me a bunch of kids as protection?"

Naruto glared at the old man as hard as he could and was about to say something. Kakashi cleverly intercepted.

"Don't worry so much," Kakashi said. "While my students are kids, they are not weak. And I am an elite ninja of the village. We will be safe."

The Hokage sighed as he saw the group leave with Tazuna. God, he was tired. He wished he didn't have to deal with it.

He leaned back to his chair and closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to fly away from the disguised blonde and all the secrets she held.

Naruto and his teammates walked calmly towards the Wave Country. They were settled in a loose formation centered around Tazuna. Naruto was behind him, while Sasuke and Sakura to his left and right, and finally Kakashi upfront. Kakashi silently noted the silence that surrounded them like a blanket. It was unnerving. There was not the sound of birds or the wind present, no animals about. It was bone chillingly eerie. Naruto seemed to be deep I this thoughts, his eyes gave him away. They were so distant and unfocused. But still, he managed to walk at a steady pace to keep up with the others. Sakura was secretly gazing at Sasuke, with a small cute blush on her cheeks. Her lips were slightly parted, as she bit softly on her index finger while her eyes never left the target's body. Sasuke on the other hand, was nonchalantly ignoring the pink haired ninja who was ogling him and tried to focus on the task at hand.

Kakashi sighed. It seems like this mission was going to be hard as hell. He just had that nagging feeling in his gut, telling him that this mission is going to be life changing for his team.

The silence was suddenly broken. Suddenly Naruto heard the sound of metal chains, and Kakashi was torn to pieces in front of them. Blood spattered everywhere as Sakura screamed and Tazuna fell to his knees.

"One down, three to go," the assailants said. Chains began to appear around Naruto, who seemed to be doing nothing as his demise hastened. Sasuke sprang into action almost immediately, kicking one of the two assailants in the face, hitting the metal mask he was wearing with a loud clang. It sent the assailant flying away. The other attacker continued wrapping his chain around Naruto, suddenly pulling it with a quick snap. Naruto's blood flowed as the spiked chain dug into his mortal flesh. The assailant pulled harder, and Naruto suddenly tore into pieces, suffering the same fate Kakashi had suffered moments ago.

"Two down, two to go."

Tazuna was basically hurling from his mouth at his point while Sakura caught her senses and took a protective stance in front of Tazuna, while Sasuke fought the two attackers. He ducked under a kick from one and dodged backwards as the other one attempted to swipe his feet from underneath. Sasuke retreated a few steps to distance himself from the enemy. He armed himself with a kunai as he took a defensive stance.

Sasuke took a good look at his enemies. They looked identical, almost like twins. They had the same height, same long and straight black hair, their faces, what was visible of it, was very similar, and even their body build was identical. Both wore Kiri headbands. Both wore gauntlets on their hands, one on the left, and one on the right. Chains hung from the gauntlets – spiked chains that smelled funny. It was retractable, allowing them to use it as a whip or as a painful cowboy rope. And of course, use it as a rope and pull hard enough, it shreds the person into minced meat, for example Kakashi and Naruto.

They attacked Sasuke from the sides, charging in with their gauntlets at the ready. Sakura was suddenly at Sasuke's side, armed and ready to fight. The two assailants jumped and released their chains. Sakura and Sasuke jumped back to dodge, seeing the chain hit the ground only a few seconds later. It sunk into the ground, and they snapped it loose from their gauntlets. Sasuke attempted a round house kick at them, but they ducked under it. Sakura seized the chance, squatting quickly, and placing her hands on the ground to support her weight as she pushed both her legs out in a drop kick motion. It caught both of the Kiri ninjas in the face sending them flying right into Kakashi and Naruto's arms, who immediately had them restrained.

"Hello, guys," Kakashi greeted nonchalantly. Naruto waved as he kept an eye on the newly acquired prisoners for any movement to escape. Sakura looked at them, and looked to where the spot where they were slashed. It was all chopped up logs.

"Sensei! Why did you pretend to die?" Sakura asked sharply.

"Well…," Kakashi began, but didn't bother to continue. Sakura's glare convinced him otherwise. "I wanted to gauge their skills against yours to see what we were up against. Also, I wanted to check on your progress as a team."

"And Naruto?" Sakura said as she turned her glare towards her blonde teammate.

"To be honest, I was spacing out until the last moment," Naruto answered sheepishly. "I only barely managed to escape in time. Then I decided to watch the show."

Sakura was basically seething at this point as she lunged towards the blonde. She caught him in a strong sleeper hold grapple while Naruto begged her to release him, even imitating a wrestler's tap out.

Kakashi turned to the captured ninjas.

"I need to send a message to Konoha," Kakashi explained. "They will send a team to bring these prisoners in."

Naruto finally pried himself loose from Sakura's death grip. He breathed the free air greedily.

"Tazuna-san," Kakashi called. You lied to us." Kakashi had a very sweet smile on his face. It was so sweet it made Tazuna sick. "My team signed up for a C-ranked mission. Ninjas shouldn't be attacking us. Especially them."

"Who?" asked Sakura and Naruto simultaneously. Kakashi answered by pointing to their newly acquire prisoners.

"The Demon Brothers. B-class missing ninjas from Kiri village," Kakashi said. He turned to Tazuna. "The truth, now!"

Tazuna could only sigh. "The town is broke. We've been squeezed dry by a man named Gatou."

"Ah, the mercenary tycoon," Naruto said, surprising everyone. They gave him weird looks, which annoyed him a little. "I know things, damn it!"

"He controls all the waterways, which we used for trading previously. His goons stop us from trading with the outside world. We are building a bridge that will link us to the outside world again. We were finally going to lose that bastard," Tazuna explained.

"But a powerful man like him has resources," Kakashi stated.

"Mercenaries and missing ninjas," Naruto concluded.

"My team is not equipped to fight missing ninjas," Kakashi announced. "This is an A-ranked mission, given the potential of ninjas that could appear, given the present situation."

"Not well equipped?" Naruto asked. "We are as equipped as any team in Konoha."

"Sensei, Naruto's right," Sakura backed Naruto. "We must complete this mission no matter what."

Sasuke nodded. Kakashi sighed.

"We might die on this mission," Kakashi warned.

"Then so be it," Naruto exclaimed with a determined look in his eyes. Sakura smiled as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke only smirked as he placed his hands in his pockets.

"Well, it seems we have a date with death," Kakashi said as he headed towards the direction away from Konoha.


	6. Chapter 6

Sasuke sighed as he placed Kakashi down beside Naruto in the futon that was prepared. Sakura plopped down beside Naruto, investigating the blood soaked bandages that covered his upper torso. Sasuke sat down beside Sakura, letting out a sigh of relief as he closed his eyes and thought about the events that happened. When Kakashi said that they had a date with death, he wasn't joking. After the encounter with the initial twin assailants, identified as the Demon Brothers, everything seemed to calm down. However, a few hours down the road, another assassin appeared to confront them. And boy was he something else…

_Flashback_

_Naruto and his team walked in the same loose formation they took before, escorting the client back to his home town to complete the all-important bridge. As they moved, a mist seemed to build up unnaturally fast. They didn't pay any attention to it until a deep whirling sound was heard. _

"_DUCK!" Kakashi screamed. The reaction was instant as Sakura tackled Tazuna to the ground while the boys ducked quickly, just in time as something metallic and huge whirled past their heads, missing by only a little. _

"_Hoooo, I see why the Demon Brothers have failed," a rough voice called out from the mist. "Sharingan Kakashi. The man who knows over 1000 jutsus. It seems I will be entertained."_

"_Protect the client at all costs," Kakashi ordered. The team immediately centered around Tazuna, each member pressing their backs onto Tazuna's body, covering him in a diamond shape. Each member faced outward, hands armed with a kunai fixed in a defensive stance. _

_A maniacal laugh echoed through the mist. "Do you know my nickname in Kiri?" _

"_Be careful, guys," Kakashi warned. "He is not someone to trifle with."_

"_They call me the Silent Killer," the voice rang out. "Because people don't see me until their deaths. Because I can kill people so quietly." _

_Kakashi felt something touch his shoulder. He swiped his kunai in that direction to find nothing. _

"_There is nothing you people can do to stop me," the voice continued. Suddenly a face appeared in front of Naruto. It was half covered in bandages, so only his eyes were visible. Those cold, dead eyes, it cut through flesh and bone and bore into Naruto's soul. It was unsettling. Naruto moved to punch the face, but just as his fist was about to connect, it disappeared. _

"_Enough taunting," Kakashi sneered. "Show yourself, Momochi Zabuza."_

_Another maniacal laugh echoed through the area. The mist dissipated. A man stood in front of the team. He was shirtless, but parts of his torso were covered in bandages. His muscular arms held the heavy zanpaktou effortlessly, as he swung it easily. He wore torn camouflage pants and ninja sandals. _

"_So you do know me," then man, identified as Zabuza, answered. _

"_Momochi Zabuza, A-class missing ninja from Kirigakure," Kakashi stated. "You escaped after the failed attempt to assassinate the Mizukage."_

"_And you are the famous Sharingan Kakashi," Zabuza replied. "Nicknamed Copycat Kakashi. Because of your Sharingan, you possess over 1000 ninja techniques."_

"_Listen to me, guys," Kakashi stated. "This man is out of your league. Just hold your positions and be careful."_

"_Let's dance," Zabuza said as he charged towards Kakashi and his team. Kakashi charged forward in response, meeting Zabuza in a clash of metal. _

_Naruto watched as Kakashi battled Zabuza. It seemed to be a standstill battle as both elite ninja battled hard for control. Suddenly a feral laughter rang in his ears. He turned to check his surroundings, and noticed his teammates haven't heard it. _

"_**So you are the insolent whelp that I am imprisoned to,"**__ a feral voice rang in his head. His head seemed to spin as he tried hard to focus his eyes. His breathing came in short and quick breaths. Naruto fell to his knees. Sakura ran to his side, calling out to him, asking him if he was alright. But he couldn't focus. Her voice was muffled out; he could only hear his own heartbeat and the feral voice, taunting him as he fought to control his breathing. Sweat stained his navy tee. He felt suffocated. A loud scream snapped him out of his stupor. He turned and saw Sasuke fly to a tree. Naruto searched for Kakashi, and found him imprisoned in a bubble of water. There were two Zabuzas, one holding the technique used to trap his sensei, another one fighting his team. Sakura ran to Sasuke to help him up. It appeared to be a grave mistake as it left their client, Tazuna completely vulnerable to attacks. Zabuza sprung immediately, already bringing his huge cleaver like sword down upon the hapless old man. _

_Naruto moved quickly, appearing between the blade and Tazuna. He held both his palms facing Zabuza. _

"_**Haryuuheki!"**_

_A wall suddenly appeared between him and the blade, effectively stopping it. Zabuza examined the barrier. From his observation, he could see that Naruto's hands were the source of the barrier, as ripples of water expanded outward, forming the wall. Sasuke, recovering from the attack he received from Zabuza earlier, took this chance to grab Tazuna by the back of his collar and yanked him back as Zabuza's second strike shattered the barrier Naruto created. Naruto dodged by sidestepping the slash. Sakura attempted a roundhouse kick to Zabuza's chest, only to have him effortlessly catch it. He lifted her up into the air and tossed her towards Sasuke, who caught her. He skidded back a few feet from the force of the toss. _

"_**Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"**_

_Hundreds of Narutos appeared and surrounded Zabuza. They attacked at once, pouncing on the dangerous assassin. The real Naruto grabbed Sakura and Tazuna by their waists and hightailed out of the area, Sasuke following tightly behind. _

"_Naruto! What are you doing?!" Sakura demanded. "We have to save Kakashi-sensei!"_

"_Not without a plan," Naruto countered. Then he gave a wicked grin. Sakura knew that grin very well. It meant he was planning something. Sasuke smirked. Oh, this was going to be awesome. _

_Zabuza was already destroying the last of the clones. He beheaded the last pitiful clone and waited. He knew they were coming back. It was the way of Konoha, after all, to not abandon one of their own. _

_His prediction came true when a fireball appeared from the woods, aimed directly at him. He jumped back and swatted the fireball as if it were a fly. Naruto and his team appeared from the bush, charging towards Zabuza. Sakura attempted to sweep his feet from under him, but he lifted his legs up, effectively rendering her move useless. Sasuke attempted a roundhouse to his face, but Zabuza punched him in the face before the kick had a chance to connect. Naruto was behind him in an instant, catching him in a full nelson grapple. _

_Sasuke took out something from his backpack. He unraveled it as he held it in his hand. _

"_Fuuma Shuriken," he announced, twirling the blade in his hands for effect. With that he jumped up and released his weapon. He watched as he sliced through the air, heading in Zabuza's direction. Zabuza powered himself out of Naruto's grapple and readied himself for the weapon, but it whirled past him. _

"_Hooo, going for the real me, I see," the Zabuza holding Kakashi prisoner with the Suirou no jutsu said. _

_Zabuza, unable to move, dodged by lifting his legs up into the air as the weapon whirled past under him. Sakura smirked. _

"_NOW!" she screamed. _

_In that instant, the weapons transformed into Sasuke and Naruto, who were already running through their hand seals. They finished at the same time, and released their jutsus together. _

"_**Katon! Endan!"**_

"_**Katon! Gokakyuu!"**_

_A stream of fire and a fireball rushed towards Zabuza, side by side. He could only watch as the flames closed the distance at amazing speeds. He cursed as he released the technique that held Kakashi prisoner and dodged the incoming double inferno. _

_Naruto and Sasuke released a breath of relief when they saw their plan come into fruitation. Kakashi was free. However, it proved to be a grave mistake as Zabuza swiftly appeared behind both boys, kicking Sasuke with so much force that he flew all the way to Sakura, who stopped his unintended journey by leaning against a tree, acting as a cushion for Sasuke. Naruto however was not so lucky. Zabuza stabbed his demon slayer sword, into Naruto's back, penetrating his back and out through the front. Naruto coughed blood as he struggled to breathe with the blade penetrating his lungs and possibly his heart. He looked down to see his chest punctured, a blade sticking out of it. He looked at his hands. They were feminine. She touched her hair. It was long and fashioned into two high pigtails. _

'_The illusion dropped,' she thought. 'I'm dying.'_

_Zabuza pulled the blade out of her tiny body swiftly, causing her to wince in pain. He held her by the collar of her tee, bringing the dying blonde to eye level. _

"_How does it feel, brat, to know that you are dying?" Zabuza taunted. Naruko could only cough slightly as more blood poured out of her wound and mouth. _

"_NARUTO!" Sakura screamed as she witnessed her teammate dying. Zabuza dropped the dying blonde. Just before she hit the ground, Zabuza delivered a fierce kick to her abdomen, sending her flying through the air. She slammed against a tree and plopped to the ground, unmoving. The only thing that moved around her was the growing pool of blood. _

_Sakura looked at her surroundings. Sasuke was out cold from the fierce kick Zabuza gave him, and Naruko was dying. Zabuza wasted no time and ran his hands through a complex series of seals. _

"_**Suiton! Suiryuudan!" **_

_A water dragon appeared from thin air and charged towards Sakura and her team. She closed her eyes and braced for the impact. Her heart swelled up with hope as she heard Kakashi's voice. _

"_**Suiton! Suiryuudan!"**_

_Another water dragon materialized and met Zabuza's dragon in midair. Both techniques neutralized each other. _

"_Sakura! Help Naruto! Hurry!" Kakashi barked worriedly. The pink haired kunoichi was up on her feet instantly, rushing to the blonde's side. She tore up Naruko's bloodied shirt and removed her broken sports bra, revealing her developing chest and a large bloody wound on her right side. Sakura quickly took out a first aid kit and began to work on the bleeding. There was a common medical powder that stopped bleeding effectively, and she wasted no time in pouring it over the gaping wound. She placed a sterilized cloth on top of the wound applying pressure onto it. She could hear the battle sounds around her. They were not holding back. Jutsus were thrown everywhere, some nearly hitting her and Naruko. She hurriedly wrapped bandages around Naruko's torso. Next she grabbed a soldier pill and forced it down Naruko's throat. She grabbed her backpack and extracted a basic tee. She helped the unconscious blonde wear it and placed her in a safe place, behind a tree and out of sight. _

"_Sakura," Sasuke's voice called out. He was beside her. _

"_Alive, but barely," Sakura answered. "We need to leave now." _

"_Take him and Tazuna away. I'll help Kakashi," Sasuke said. With that, he took off to help his sensei against his opponent. _

"_Tazuna-san," Sakura called, getting the man's attention. "We have to leave now." _

_Tazuna dumbly nodded. Sakura grabbed Naruko and hightailed out of the place, Tazuna following suit. _

"_Hurry," Sakura ushered. They picked up speed to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the battle. _

_Fifteen minutes of running later, Tazuna called for her to stop. He was winded. He couldn't run another step. _

_Sakura placed Naruko down gently. _

"_Wait here," she said. "I will secure the immediate area."_

_Sakura took off, taking with her a bundle wire and explosive tags, in addition to the equipment that was already present in her kit. _

_Tazuna sighed. This had been quite a day. Everything was so blurred and bloody. It was so confusing. He needed some sake right about now. _

_Sakura returned some time later with Sasuke and Kakashi. Kakashi was basically out cold, with Sakura and Sasuke supporting his weight on their shoulders. _

"_We have to leave now," Sasuke said. "They need rest."_

_Tazuna nodded. _

"_Where is he?" Tazuna asked. _

"_Zabuza is defeated," Sasuke answered. _

_Flashback end_

**Jutsu Translation**

**Haryuuheki - Wall of Flowing Waves**

**Suiryuudan - Water Dragon Projectile**

**Endan - Fire Dragon Projectile**

**Gokakyuu- Grand Fireball**

**Kage Bunshin - Shadow Clone**


	7. Chapter 7

Naruko found herself ankle deep in water. Her surroundings were dark and damp, and very narrow. She touched the pipes that lined the walls of the corridor. It was cold and wet and water flowed down her hands. She walked slowly forward as her feet walked against the flow of the water. Naruko looked at her surroundings carefully. Pipes were lined everywhere, covering every inch of the walls. The pipes were twisted and turned at unusual angles. Naruko observed the turns and twists properly. They almost look like blood vessels in a human's body.

"**Come closer," **a voice rang out. It echoed through the tunnels and corridors, making it hard for Naruko to pinpoint the location. But she walked forward nonetheless, her legs moving automatically. She turned at a corner to the right, and a suddenly a bright light invaded her line of sight. She shielded her eyes from the light.

"**I see that you have made it," **a rugged feral voice rang directly in front of her. She put down her hand and looked straight ahead. It was an enormous cage, seemingly held in place by a paper that had the kanji of 'Seal' on it. Big red eyes peered out from the other side of the cage, followed by giant white fangs. Footsteps rumbled from inside the cage, giving Naruko a slight idea of the creature's size.

"I know who you are," Naruko stated fearlessly. There was no point being scared, she thought to herself. The seal have held for twelve years, it wouldn't fail now.

"**I can see that you do," **the giant fox replied. **"It's the first time meeting you. On the brink of death and finally we meet."**

"What do you want?" she asked, a little annoyed with the fox.

"**Want?" **the fox growled. **"I want my freedom! I want to put you between my jaws, and crush you like the insolent insect that you are. I want to devour the bloody man who placed me inside here for twelve years!"**

Kyuubi smacked his giant paw against the cage, and the whole room shook violently. Naruko lost her balance and stumbled on the ground.

"**One day, I will escape from this hellhole!" **Kyuubi roared. **"And you will be the first one to feel my wrath."**

"I can see why people hate me now," Naruko mumbled under her breath. She looked up, eyes burning with a cold fury that would have made a normal human shiver. "YOU are the reason my life is like this!"

Naruko snarled, revealing her slightly feral canines. "I will NEVER let you escape! As long as I am alive, you will NOT have your freedom!"

Kyuubi roared.

"And when I die," Naruko continued. "I am taking you to the grave with me."

Kyuubi pounded the bars in a furious outburst, violently shaking the room.

"**You think you can threaten me?" **Kyuubi growled. **"The strongest ninja in the world couldn't kill me. The strongest Hokage in history couldn't kill me, even after he had the aid of the Death God himself."**

"True," Naruko said. Kyuubi looked smug. "But you are currently trapped. I intend to make sure you stay that way."

Kyuubi retreated back into the depths of his cage. **"Leave. You ruin my mood."**

Naruko turned to leave but stopped in her tracks. "I have a question."

This caught the giant red fox's attention. This was something new, he thought.

"How did you bring me here?" she asked.

"**I did not," **he answered. **"You came because it was time for us to meet."**

"Why in the world would I want to meet you?" she asked, voice teeming with acid.

Kyuubi's laugh echoed throughout the room.

"**Have you not realized that I have kept you alive numerous times, when you are staring in the face of death?" **he claimed.

Naruko scrowled.

"**The seal," **he explained. **"has tied both of our fates together. That means, if you die, I die. And trust me, I have NO intention of dying anytime soon."**

Naruko pondered on what he said.

"**You, child," **he said as he pranced around his cage. **"I can feel something is wrong with you. It's like something is missing."**

Her eyed widened. He knew what she felt. Something was always off. It was like she was missing something- a part of her soul was missing. That's what it felt like, what she always felt like. Kyuubi laughed.

"**This encounter has been quite interesting," **he concluded, pleased with himself. **"You should treat that wound."**

Naruko looked down. Under her tee she could see her bandaged torso. She remembered the battle. She was almost killed. Her illusion had dropped. That mean her team would have discovered her true identity. She began to panic. Kyuubi snickered.

"**I have upheld your illusion after your near death condition began to stabilize," **Kyuubi informed. **"But I think your female teammate saw your real form."**

A puzzled expression covered her face.

"**Keeping you alive is vital to my survival," **he explained. **"The less people know about you, the better. You've made that pretty clear in the past."**

"I won't be grateful," Naruko stated.

"**I am merely helping myself survive," **Kyuubi retorted. **"As much as I like you, once I am out of this hellhole, I will crush you like an insect."**

"I will kill you," Naruko proclaimed. "Once you escape, I will kill you."

"**Try me, woman," **the Kyuubi taunted as his feral laughter filled the room. Naruko felt the laughter fade as the surroundings began to blur.

Naruto woke up with a start, sitting up on his futon in a room. Sweat poured down his face. A jolt of pain nearly caused him to scream out, but he managed to hold it in. he looked down and touched his naked torso, which was heavily bandaged. Sakura was sleeping beside him in a kneeling position, a medical kit by her side, and bloodied bandages by another side. Kakashi was in another futon beside him, out cold and unmoving. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

Naruto gently placed her down on the futon he was sleeping on, laying a blanket over her, murmuring a soft thanks to her as he did so. He put on a shirt, and exited the room. A beautiful woman with long black hair in an apron greeted him.

"I see you have woken up," she said with a tender smile. "I'm Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter."

"Good morning to you," Naruto greeted. "Thank you for extending your hospitality."

"It's the least we could do," Tsunami said. Naruto noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. He turned to look at it, but it darted deeper into the house.

"That was my son, Inari," Tsunami cleared up. "He's been like that ever since his father died."

It was then Naruto noticed the patched up picture on one of the walls. A part of it was torn off, but was patched back in poorly with some clear tape.

"Is that him?" Naruto asked as he pointed to the man in the picture. Tsunami nodded. "How did he die?"

"Like a hero, Naruto-san," Tsunami answered sadly. "He tried to stop Gatou, but he was killed instead."

"I am sorry for your loss," Naruto said.

"Don't be," Tsunami answered. "Your teammate is with Father on the bridge."

"Naruto?" a groggy voice sounded. Tsunami and Naruto turned to see Sakura, who was rubbing some sleep out of her eyes. "Can I talk to you privately?"

Naruto nodded. "Tsunami-san, if you'll excuse us." Naruto and Sakura left the house.

The silence was deafening. Sakura was sort of nervous, Naruto could see that as her hands clasped each other. She was tensing.

"I know you know, Sakura," Naruto began. It eased the tension between both of them.

"I was the one who stopped the bleeding when Zabuza stabbed you," Sakura told him. Naruto nodded.

They stopped under a big tree in the middle of a forest. They were alone.

"Why, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Naruto placed his hands in a seal and muttered "Genjutsu Kai."

"It's Naruko, by the way," the blonde corrected.

Sakura observed as Naruto's features changed. First spiky blonde hair gave way to long straight ones, tied in two high pigtails. Masculine angled jawline gave way to a narrow feminine chin. Her body dissolved from a toned masculine body to a slender sexy female body.

"This is the real me," Naruko said. Sakura observed her from head to toe. She was a beautiful girl. Her face was sharp at the chin, but rounded at the jaws. Her eyes were blue and large, she had a small button nose and pink lips. The whisker marks spread across her creamy cheeks lightly, giving her a cute yet seductive look. Her body was slender. Sakura could see that her curves were starting to form nicely, giving her a slim sexy waist and a nicely sized hip. Sakura looked up to see Naruko's breasts. They were coming in nicely, not big like Hinata's but definitely bigger than hers. Her legs were creamy white and long, like powdered pearl continuously applied on the skin. All in all, she was a beautiful girl, and have a killer body guys will die for in a few years. Sakura felt a tingle of jealousy but ignored it.

"It's complicated, Sakura," Naruko answered. "I cannot explain it in a few words nor it is something that I can explain without the consent of the Hokage."

"Does Kakashi know?" Sakura asked. Naruko shook her head.

"I can count the people who know with my hands," Naruko stated. "People who know why I did this are strong people, Sakura. One of them is Hokage-sama."

"Is it that bad?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura, if you knew this secret, and word got around, it would endanger your life," Naruko deathpanned. Sakura stumbled in surprise.

"Sakura, please," Naruko begged. "Tell no one about this. I was made a ninja for a reason."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. Her heart was pounding rapidly. She wondered if it was the excitement of knowing Naruko's secrets or just seeing her in her real form.

"For reasons I cannot disclose," Naruko began as she closed the distance between her and Sakura. "I have many enemies."

Sakura was caught by surprise. She stumbled and fell but Naruko managed to catch her.

"Enemies, Sakura, that would not hesitate to kill anyone close to me to get their hands on my secret," Naruko continued.

"I won't tell-l anyone-ee I saw-w you," Sakura stammered. Naruko smiled.

"Thank you, Sakura," Naruko said gently as she hugged the pink haired girl. "Let's go back to Tazuna's house. We have to rest."

Zabuza was sitting up as Gatou was standing in front of his bed.

"You told me you were good!" Gatou yelled. "Why isn't the old man dead?"

Zabuza didn't respond, instead he just ignored the question. Gatou was livid. He stormed over to Zabuza's side, and was about to raise his hand to smack him when a strong grip on his arm caused him to scream in pain.

"You are not worthy of touching him!" the voice, which was feminine, hissed. Gatou's guards, who were quiet until that point, sprang into action. They moved to apprehend the person holding their boss, but were stopped dead when she held a senbon to Gatou's head.

"Now, now, Haku," Zabuza said teasingly. "We don't want to kill our employer before he pays us."

The person, who was now identified as Haku, released him.

"Go before I hack off your arm," Haku spat. Gatou cuddled his arm and ran out with his guards following suit.

"Zabuza-sama," Haku turned to face the assassin. "Your injuries will take a week to fully heal if you drink my medicine every day."

Zabuza nodded. "I want a re-match with Kakashi."

Kakashi had awoken when Naruto and Sakura returned. He was sitting up in his futon.

"We have bad news," Sasuke announced when he saw his teammates enter. Naruto and Sakura frowned. Kakashi motioned for them to sit, which they did.

"Remember our good friend Zabuza?" Kakashi started. Naruto and Sakura nodded. "Well, he's not dead."

"Sensei, when you say not dead, do you mean comatose not dead or he's coming back to kill us not dead?" Naruto asked.

"Oh he's very much alive alright," Kakashi answered. "I suspect that he will be up and moving fine in about a week or so."

"Ah crap," Naruto swore. "I don't want to get stabbed in the chest again."

"Naruto's injury won't heal in time for the confrontation," Kakashi stated. He turned to his two other students. "You two will have to take point."

Sasuke and Sakura glanced at each other for a second, before nodding.

"Sasuke, you have a nice arsenal of fire techniques," Kakashi said. "Sakura however, is not so well versed in that area."

"Sensei," Naruto interrupted. Kakashi turned to his blonde teammate. "I know some simple offensive techniques. I could teach her."

Kakashi nodded. "However, I have an exercise that will benefit all of you," he said as he smiled under his mask. "Follow me."

Kakashi led his three students outside to a forest nearby. He stopped in front of a huge tree.

"The exercise," Kakashi began. "Is to climb trees."

Naruto smirked while Sakura and Sasuke looked puzzled. Sasuke tried to hide it to no avail.

"You are going to do it with only your feet," Kakashi announced with a nice smile under his mask. Sasuke and Sakura looked lost at this point.

"Not possible," Sakura argued.

Kakashi's smile widened. "If I can do it, you have to do it topless."

Sakura blushed and her hands instinctively went to cover her chest.

"PERVERT!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto was basically rolling on the ground, laughing.

"Naruto, since you're laughing," Kakashi teased. "You try doing it."

Naruto stopped laughing.

"If I am able to do it, sensei," Naruto stated with a smirk on his face. "You are treating us all lunch in a location of our choosing."

Kakashi sweated on this. Naruto was a legendary eater. He could eat ramen for hours and not get full. Kakashi wondered if it applied to other foods as well. No way Naruto can do this at this stage in his ninja career, he thought.

"And if you fail?" Kakashi asked.

"If I fail, sensei," Naruto stated. "I will steal the Hokage's peeping crystal ball for you."

Kakashi's eyes widened. The legendary crystal ball was an all seeing object that the Hokage used to monitor Konoha. It could look everywhere, including bathhouses and private clubs where people usually are drunk and loose, especially the girls. It was no secret among the ANBU that he always peeped.

"You're on, blondie!" Kakashi exclaimed, excited about the fact that he would be able to own the all-seeing crystal ball.

Both his teammates gasped.

"You're giving our pervert of a sensei the access to all the naked girls in Konoha?" Sakura howled.

"I could be getting us a free lunch at the most expensive restaurant in Konoha," Naruto countered.

Sakura shut up at that point. The most expensive restaurant in Konoha was The Golden Leaf. One bowl of ramen there would be equal to one hundred instant ramen bowls. Only the crème de la crème ate there.

"Ready to kiss your money goodbye, sensei?" Naruto taunted. Kakashi only smirked.

"You have to be able to do it first," Kakashi countered. Naruto walked towards a tree. He placed one foot on the trunk, and pushed chakra into it. He then lifted his other foot off the ground and placed it on the tree. Kakashi's eyes widened. Naruto took another step up the tree. Kakashi was already saying goodbye to his money as Naruto continued up the tree until he reached the top. Sakura was floored at this point while Sasuke was a bit jealous.

"Golden Leaf, here we come!" Naruto exclaimed from the top of the tree.

"How did you…" Kakashi started but was interrupted when Naruto landed beside him.

"I had to know this, sensei," Naruto said. "It was vital."

Kakashi understood what he meant.

"The purpose of this exercise," Naruto explained to his teammates. "Is to improve your chakra control."

"I don't see how climbing trees can help us with the fight against Zabuza," Sakura said.

"Well," Kakashi butted-in. "More control over chakra allows your techniques to be stronger."

Sakura and Sasuke seemed to understand some of it, but not completely.

"Tree climbing trains you to release a fixed amount of chakra," Naruto explained further. "Most offensive techniques ninjas use require a fixed amount of chakra. The better a ninja can control his chakra, the more powerful the technique is when used. For example…"

Kakashi flashed his hands through a series of seals, ending in the tiger seal.

"**Katon! Gokakyuu!" **

A giant fireball the size of a house blew from his mouth towards the sky. It flew upwards for a bit before it ran out of fuel and vanished.

"Sasuke, can your **Gokakyuu **match mine?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke shook his head.

"That's the difference," Kakashi explained further. "Since my control is superior to his, my techniques come out more powerful."

They both nodded.

"Now," Kakashi instructed to the two students of his. "Remember this- if you use too much chakra, the tree trunk will collapse and you will be flung in the opposite direction, but too little and you slide off."

Both Sasuke and Sakura nodded.

"Practice until your chakra runs out," Kakashi instructed. "Naruto will supervise you for this exercise, since he can't do anything at this point."

Naruto nodded and took a seat opposite of Sasuke and Sakura's training site.

"How do you already know this?" Sasuke questioned as his first attempt to climb failed.

"You learn fast when your life is in danger," Naruto replied. He gave Sasuke a look that made him think twice about pursuing the matter.

Sasuke let the matter drop and continued practicing. This was how the morning passed. They would both practice until they were tired, rested for a while before continuing. Sakura had the concept down fast, being the bookworm she was, and reached the top way before Sasuke reached halfway up the tree. She rested beside Naruto for the rest of the day.

Later in the afternoon, Sasuke was getting frustrated that he couldn't get it down. He went to Naruto and sat down beside him and Sakura.

"I need some help," he said as he declined to look directly at them. It was a small blow to his pride, being the rookie of the year.

Naruto smiled. He knew it was hard for Sasuke to come to him for help with this.

"Alright Sasuke," Naruto said. "What is wrong?"

"I can't seem to get the concept down," Sasuke said, annoyed.

"Well, you have the rough idea already, since you were able to climb up the tree some ways," Naruto stated. "It's like holding your breath, Sasuke. You cannot release your hold on the chakra."

Sasuke nodded and rose to try again.

"Why was it that I was able to complete this exercise faster than Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked curiously. "I wasn't really the top person in class that could fight."

"Well Sakura," Naruto answered. "Honestly it was because of your small reserves. A smaller reserve of chakra is easier to control than a larger one. It's like water. A small amount can be controlled easily by a drain, while a large body of water needs something more powerful to control it."

Sakura nodded as the information sank in.

"It's not that Sasuke is weak," Naruto stated. "It's just that he has a lot of chakra."

Sakura nodded some more.

"Well, Sakura," Naruto started. "I think it's time for us to start on your training."

Sakura meeped but nodded.

Alright, considering the roles in our team," Naruto started explaining. "It would seem that Sasuke and I are the main powerhouses, and you would be the long range support or medic or something similar."

Sakura nodded. It had stung to be compared like that. She wasn't strong and she knew it.

"Given the fact that our fight will be occurring in a week or so, we don't really have enough time to teach you a very strong technique," Naruto stated.

Sakura nodded again.

"I won't be able to do much in the next fight, being as injured as I am," Naruto informed. "So you will have to take my place upfront. For that you will need to be able to fight."

Sakura tensed.

Naruto held out his hand.

"**Domu no justu." **

Naruto's hand turned brownish black. Naruto walked towards a huge rock nearly. He pulled his hand back and punched the rock with all his might. On impact, his hand penetrated the rock and left an arm sized hole in it.

Sakura's jaw dropped.

"This will be one of the two techniques I will be teaching you," Naruto said with a smile. "The second one will depend on if you are able to master this one quick enough."

Sakura nodded and listened as Naruto gave her instructions on the technique. Kakashi smiled as he looked upon his team from the branches which he was resting. This team is good, he thought. Maybe they would survive this encounter after all.

**Jutsu Translation **

**Domu - Earth Spear**


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto ran a hand gently across his wound. It was healing faster than a normal person's rate, but even so it wasn't fast enough to get him to tip top condition for the battle with Zabuza. He was currently walking in an open field alone.

"Genjutsu Kai," he muttered as his hands formed a seal. Instantly the illusion dropped, revealing the true form of Naruko. She decided to sit under a tree in the middle of the field. The shade it provided was comforting, also the breeze gently blowing by; making her hair fly slightly was very relaxing. She dozed off in a minute.

Naruko opened her eyes a while later when she heard some ruffling sounds. She looked to see a black haired figure, bent down and picking some wild herbs and placing it in the basket that was beside the person.

"A fine day, isn't it?" Naruto asked, hoping to start a conversation with this person. The said person turned around, showing her soft feminine features as she smiled.

"Yes it is," the newcomer replied. "My name is Haku."

"I am Naruko," the blonde responded in kind. "It's good to meet you."

Haku smiled and sat down beside Naruko, who took a good look at the person. Her hair was straight down to her shoulders- it looked as smooth as silk. She was almost tempted to run her hands through it just to see how it felt like. Her skin lived up to her name- 'Haku' meaning white. It was white as snow, as if she never seen a day of sun in her life. It made her glow with a soft gentle beauty. Naruko could see under the blue flowery kimono that was slightly loose that her breasts were very nicely shaped, slightly smaller than her own. Her sash was tied around her tiny slender waist tightly, giving her breasts more assent. Her legs for the most part were hidden, but parts of her calves were revealed as she sat down. It was the same as her face- white as snow. She was a beautiful woman.

"You are very pretty," Naruko complimented, earning a small pink blush from the black haired girl.

"Thank you," Haku said. "You are very pretty yourself."

Naruko could only smile. Haku turned to see the Konoha headband that Naruko possessed.

"You're a ninja," Haku commented. Naruko nodded.

"My team is on a mission from Konoha," Naruko answered. She then lay down on the grass, looking up at the clouds through the holes that the tree's leaves didn't cover.

"I thought ninjas train a lot in their free time," Haku stated. Naruko responded by lifting up the green tee shirt she was wearing. It revealed a heavily bandaged torso under her black sports bra.

"I was stabbed," Naruko answered. "By a giant sword that belongs to a powerful enemy. I can't train until the wound is healed."

Haku saw the battle that day. She had recalled that the one stabbed was a blonde boy, but somehow he had turned into a girl seconds after.

Haku half thought about killing the blonde ninja now to save her the trouble of a future battle. She held back when she saw the blonde's relaxed smiling face as she stared in to the sky through the leaves. Instead she got down on all fours and leaned close to the blonde's face. Naruko turned her head slightly to meet her soft gaze.

"Your eyes," Haku stated. "They are so pretty, like the endless sky."

Naruko smiled again. She took a deep breath. She could smell Haku's scent. It smelled like cool mint. Naruko liked that smell.

Naruko motioned for Haku to lie beside her, which Haku happily did. For that one moment, Naruko felt like she was in heaven. Everything was perfect. She didn't know why but it felt nice being with this girl. Something connected them together.

"There's something about you, Haku," Naruko stated. "I feel so relaxed around you."

"I feel the same thing about you too," Haku replied. "It's hard to explain."

Naruko pondered on what she said. It was true. While she could feel some sort of connection, it was unexplainable. Coupled with the fact that they have only just met, this was something Naruko have never experienced before. She liked this new experience.

"Naruko," Haku called, earning a muffled hum from the blonde as a reply. "How do you get strong? Why do you want to become a ninja?"

Naruko sighed.

"I became a ninja because I had to," she answered. "There are people whom I don't know, but are hunting me for something I have no control over."

Haku turned to her side to face the blonde.

"I become strong because I have to," Naruko continued. "I have to become strong to protect those I hold dear to me. My precious people who I hold close to my heart, I have to protect them with my life."

Haku reached out a hand to play with Naruko's long blonde hair, which was spread beside her.

"I hold a power that people fear greatly, and there are people who would see me dead just because of it," Naruko stated. Haku's smile disappeared.

"It's not fair," she stated.

Naruko smiled. "I have people who care about me, and I care about them."

"Naruko," Haku said, causing the blonde to look at the beautiful black haired girl. "You will become very strong."

Naruko smiled as she tore her gaze away from Haku's mesmerizing black eyes and sat up. She gently pushed Haku down to the grass and leaned in over her, blonde hair falling like golden rain onto Haku's face. Her hand found its way to Haku's cheek, caressing it softly. Haku moaned softly and leaned into the touch. Naruko took this moment to lean in and catch her lips in a soft kiss. Haku was shocked at first, but kissed back. Naruko's tongue gently pushed her way into Haku's mouth, feeling her give way to Naruko's demands. She met Naruko's tongue with her own, twisting and twirling around each other like entangled vines. Naruko wrapped her hands around Haku's slender waist and pulled her closer. Haku's hands instinctively went to Naruko's neck, and held her in a gentle hug. Naruko's hands went from Haku's waist to her face, cupping it as she released the French kiss that connected them together. A trail of saliva hung in between them before it broke off a second later.

Naruko looked at Haku's blushing face. It was very cute. She smiled.

"That was-" Haku started, but Naruko silenced her with a finger to her lips. Naruko then leaned in again and kissed her, this time more passionately than before. She could feel Haku's body melt into the kiss and she released it after a few minutes. Haku was panting like a school girl. Her face was warm and pinkish from blushing and she had a small stain of saliva at the sides of her mouth from making out with the feisty blonde.

"You are beautiful," Naruko whispered into her ear. Haku blushed even harder. Haku's mind was racing. Her heart was pounding. She had just made out with a complete stranger. What was worse was, she enjoyed it. She enjoyed how her lips were soft and sweet, how the blonde's tongue battled hers for dominance in her mouth, how Naruko held her tightly as if she was someone important. She loved how Naruko kept complimenting her. It made her feel wanted and un-abandoned. On the other hand, they knew nothing about each other, besides their names. Haku opened her mouth to excuse herself, but one look at Naruko's smiling face dismissed the thought.

Haku closed her eyes and enjoyed the comfort of the pretty blonde that was currently wrapped around her body. It was very relaxing, she had to admit. And it was like this the duo spent the entire day, in each other's company out on the vast green field, with the warm sun and the cool breeze that blew through it.

Kakashi stood in a defensive stance with two of his students around Tazuna. Sakura and Sasuke both had a kunai in their hands placed in front of them. A mist surrounded them. It was an ominous mist. Kakashi could feel it in his bones.

"Kakashi," a voice called out from the mist. "It seems we meet again."

Kakashi narrowed his eye as he recognized the voice. Kakashi heard a metallic swing to his left, to which he wisely blocked with his kunai. A metallic impact was heard a fraction of a second later.

Sasuke and Sakura scanned their surroundings as best they could, but the mist prevented them from seeing anything. Suddenly they heard a light swoosh. Both shinobi wisely blocked two incoming senbon, aiming for their eyes with their kunai.

"There's more than one enemy," Sakura confirmed with Sasuke.

"Your students are shaking, Kakashi," Zabuza taunted from the mist. "Is he afraid of death?"

Sasuke looked at his hands. They were trembling horribly. Sakura was no different. They both smiled.

"We aren't trembling in fear, you blind bat," Sasuke said as he blocked an attempt to stab him with a senbon by the second assassin.

"We're excited," Sakura finished.

"**Domu no jutsu!" **

Sakura's hands immediately turned brownish black. She caught the attempt by the newcomer assassin to stab her, and punched the assassin in the gut, causing the assassin, who was masked, to fly back. The assassin landed beside Zabuza.

"Zabuza-sama," the assassin began in a feminine voice, but was silenced when Zabuza glared at her.

"It seems your students have gotten stronger," Zabuza commented. "But they are still no match for my friend here."

Kakashi revealed his Sharingan.

"Sakura, Sasuke, protect him from the second assailant," Kakashi instructed. As both of his students nodded, he charged off into the mist. Kakashi's Sharingan saw through the mist immediately, and in an instant he was face to face with the Demon of the Mist, body tensed for battle. He trusted his students to take care of things with Tazuna. His priority was to keep this A- ranked missing ninja away from his students.

Sasuke was engaging the second assailant, while Sakura was keeping watch over their client. Sasuke was having a hard time against his opponent, for while he had improved, he was barely able to keep up with his enemy's superior speed. Haku was trying to force him to err, by swiping once at his vital organs with her senbon, forcing him to block with his kunai, then quickly disappearing and reappearing behind him in another attempt to kill him. Sasuke had always been able to block both, much to Haku's annoyance. He was keeping up with her speed, but just barely. She needed to up her game. She swiped again, forcing him to block again. Her free hand quickly ran through some seals.

"**Sensatsu Shuishou!" **

Vapor from the mist suddenly condensed and formed into many floating needles surrounding Sasuke. He jumped just as they flew towards him. As soon as he landed, Haku was in front of him, attempting another swipe. Sasuke flinched- he was not going to be able to block this strike.

"**Suiben!" **

A whip seemingly made of water caught Haku's arm in midair. Sasuke followed the whip back to the source. It was Sakura. The whip was hers. She had stopped the assassin's attempt.

Sasuke, taking this moment, quickly delivered a heavy roundhouse kick to the assassin's head, sending her flying a few feet away. She flipped and landed on the ground. Haku quickly performed hand seals and slammed her hands on the ground.

"**Hyourou no jutsu!" **

Blocks of ice appeared from the ground, travelling from Haku to both Sakura and Sasuke at insane speeds. Sasuke dodged by jumping, while Sakura tackled Tazuna to the side. The ice missed her by a couple of inches.

"Tazuna-san, please find Naruto," Sakura instructed hastily. "He will be able to protect you."

Tazuna nodded and ran to find the blonde ninja. Sakura watched as he disappeared in the mist.

Sasuke-kun, I'm ready," Sakura firmly stated as the **Suiben **appeared in her hands. She gave it a strong swing, causing the whip to smack the ground with a loud bang. Sasuke nodded.

"Take point, Sakura," Sasuke instructed. "I will back you from behind with my fire jutsus."

Sakura nodded.

"Be careful," Sasuke warned. "She is fast and deadly."

Sakura nodded. She gave the **Suiben **another swing, and charged towards Haku. As she approached, she swung her **Suiben **towards Haku in an attempt to bind her, but she easily dodged the attempt by jumping.

Sasuke saw an opening and quickly ran his hands through a series of seals.

"**Katon! Gokakyuu!"**

He blew a giant fireball towards the airborne Haku, who twisted her body to escape being scorched. She landed on the ground with a heavy click on her ninja sandals, and immediately Sakura pounced. She leapt into the air, and swung her **Suiben **strongly towards Haku. Haku dodged the attack by leaping to the side. Sasuke was already in front of her, squatting to sweep her feet from underneath her. Haku had no time to respond, and was caught in the move. She fell to the floor on her back, groaning. Immediately Sakura stabbed her in the heart with a kunai. Haku didn't move for a few seconds. Sasuke and Sakura were about to relax when the Haku disappeared in a poof and was replaced by a broken senbon.

They cursed.

"**Suiton! Mizurappa!" **

Sakura and Sasuke turned their heads in the direction of the voice, a decision which proved to be poor. A violent jet of water smashed into the two Konoha ninjas, sending them both flying into one of the bridge's beams. The attack knocked the wind out of both of them.

"I will show you," Haku stated with a hint of ice on her voice. "The extent of my powers."

Tazuna had reached his house. He knew Naruto was resting on the upper floor. He rushed through the front door, only to stop dead at the sight he saw. His daughter was tied up, and on the ground, while his grandson had a kitchen knife in his hand. Two thugs with katanas were attacking them. It seemed to be happened just a few moments ago, because any longer the thugs would have dispatched both of them with ease.

"DO NOT TOUCH MY MOTHER!" Inari screamed at the top of his lungs. Tazuna looked at his grandson. He had a determined look on his face. He smiled as he thought about how similar Inari was to his son-in-law.

Inari glared at the two assassins as hard as he could. In truth he was scared that he was in between them and his mother. He was half tempted to surrender but he remembered what Naruto told him.

_Flashback_

_Naruto was outside, watching Sasuke do the tree climbing exercise. Sakura was beside him, trying to perform the __**Suiben**__ but to no avail. Inari watched from behind a tree near them as they trained for the upcoming battle. _

"_I can't seem to hold the water," Sakura complained as her attempt failed for the umpteenth time. _

"_Sakura," Naruto began explaining in a slightly annoyed tone. "After you gather chakra into your hands, you must be able to visualize the whip. Think of it as a wet leather rope that you can smack your enemies with."_

_Sakura nodded and returned to training. _

"_WHY DO YOU ALL TRY SO HARD?" Inari screamed at the top of his lungs. "YOU WILL ALL DIE ANYWAYS! WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE WHETHER YOU TRAIN OR NOT?!"_

_Naruto frowned. He got up swiftly, ignoring the glaring pain that came out from his wound as a result of reckless movement. He walked over to the child that was glaring at him, and proceeded to slap him hard in the face. _

"_You are disgrace to your father's name," Naruto stated. _

_Sasuke and Sakura gasped. _

"_Naruto..." Sakura began but Naruto stopped her with a sharp look. _

"_Your father died protecting his family and home," Naruto continued. "While you stew in your own filth, ignorant of your father's legacy." _

"_YOU DIDN'T KNOW MY FATHER!" Inari screamed. "YOU DIDN'T SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM!"_

"_I know of men like your father!" Naruto hissed angrily. "He sacrificed everything he had to ensure you and your mother's survival. Even your grandfather, an aged man who is supposed to enjoy his last few years of life, is doing something for his home. You are a spoilt brat who cannot do anything. You are not worthy of your father's name and blood."_

_Naruto took off his shirt and reveled the bandaged torso. The bandages had blood seeping through. _

"_I took a giant blade to the chest for your grandpa," Naruto stated. "It nearly cost me my life."_

_Inari gasped. _

"_If I had known I would be protecting people like you, I would have just turned back and stopped wasting my time," Naruto said icily. _

"_Naruto," Sakura finally interrupted. "He's a kid."_

_She put her hand on his shoulder and ushered him to the house where the first aid kit was. The bandages needed changing. The wound had reopened when Naruto stood up swiftly. _

"_Inari-san," Sakura called softly. "Please forgive Naruto. He's had a hard life where everything he has is the result of his hard work and determination."_

_Inari ran back to his room crying. He held a picture of his father as he cried into the pillow. Naruto's words rang in his head. His mind was racing with thoughts. Was he really useless? Was here really a disgrace to his father's name? Was he unworthy of his father's name and blood? _

_He looked at his hands. The blood of my father flows in these hands, he thought. He sat up. He had come to a decision. He would stop brooding. He would NOT be useless. He would be worthy of his father's name and blood. He was going to follow in his father's footsteps in defending his family and home. _

_Flashback end_

Tazuna gasped as the two thugs ignored his presence and closed in on his grandson and daughter.

"Inari, run!" Tsunami instructed. "Leave me!"

"Never," the child answered defiantly. "I will not let my family down anymore."

"**Endan!" **

The two thugs turned to the direction of the voice, but gasped to see a fireball burning its way towards them. They flinched as the fireball was suddenly in front of them, and could only scream as the inferno engulfed them, sending them to their painful deaths.

Tazuna sighed in relief as Naruto walked down the stairs, clutching his wound over his tee shirt.

"Naruto-san, your teammates are in trouble," Tazuna blurted out. Naruto frowned.

"This is bad," Naruto stated. "I am in no condition to fight anyone."

"Now what?" Inari asked.

"I have no choice but to fight," Naruto answered firmly.

"Your wound…" Tsunami began, but Naruto interrupted her.

"My teammates are in danger," Naruto said. "I have to go."

Tsunami nodded. "Be careful, Naruto-san."

Naruto nodded and departed for the battlefield.

**Jutsu Translation**

**Endan – Fireball**

**Goukakyuu – Grand Fireball**

**Suiben – Water Whip**

**Domu – Earth Spear**

**Hyourou – Ice Prison**

**Mizurappa – Violent Water Wave**

**Sensatsu Suishou – Death by a Thousand Flying Needles**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: OK, first a note. I was busy with university all semester so I didn't actually have the time to write..and also battle scenes make my head hurt. I seriously hate writing them because they are hatable!**

Sasuke gasped as he fell to his knees. His whole body was a pin cushion. It felt like he had been stung by a thousand bees. He once again looked at his surroundings, hoping to find a way to defeat his enemy. The demonic ice mirrors that surrounded him like a dome. His enemy seemed to be everywhere, but he knew better. He knew that she traveled at unimaginable speeds between each mirror, giving the impression that there was a lot of her. Sasuke looked at his opponent. He could somewhat catch her movements now, but attacking her was another matter. Just because the attack can be seen, doesn't mean it can be dodged. He readied himself for another attack, taking a defensive stance, protecting his vital organs and his head. It was at this moment, Haku attacked.

"**Sensatsu Suishou!"**

Numerous needles appeared above him, raining down on him. Sasuke screamed as they pierced his skin, officially turning him into the first Uchiha porcupine in their clan's history.

Naruto jumped from branch to branch as he made his way to the battlefield. He had many things running through his head, but the main point was how to rescue his teammates, given his condition. He could hear the voice of his other tenant. The giant fox was mocking him.

"**You want to fight in your condition?" **Kyuubi mocked from the depths of his cage. **"It would be easier to just behead yourself and present it to your enemy."**

"_If you have nothing useful to add, you useless giant furball, I suggest you keep your jaws shut," _Naruto hissed.

"**We shall see, human. We shall see," **Kyuubi said as he retreated to the ends of his dark cage.

The blonde had to admit: the bloody fox was right. Given the condition his body was in, he stood very little chance against his opponent. He couldn't move very well, so he would have to try other tactics against his opponent.

Kakashi on the other hand was faring better than his students. While had had failed to gain any ground over his opponent, he wasn't losing any either. Water surrounded the two powerful ninjas, as well as craters. Powerful water ninjutsus were thrown everywhere by the two ninjas, with Zabuza attacking most of the time and Kakashi mimicking his techniques. And after some odd number of ninjutsus, they would engage in taijutsu and stealth killing, both trying hard to take each other's life. It was an endless cycle.

Naruto arrived at the battlefield minutes later. A clearing mist blocked some of his vision, but he was able to make out outlines of what appeared to be a dome. He could also hear metal clashing further away, and if he squinted hard enough, two ever moving black dots seemed to clash in midair every few seconds. Another figure caught his attention. It was red and pinkish, leaning against one of the railings of the unfinished bridge. . He knew it was Sakura. He moved quickly towards her.

"Sakura!" Naruto called softly as he gently shook her shoulders. She looked fine, save a few bruises and cuts on her body. There was a bleeding wound on her head, indication of blunt force trauma. Her **Suiben **was nothing more than a puddle of water beside her. He shook her gently again, and this time she stirred.

"Naruto?" she asked groggily. Naruto nodded.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked, concerned. Sakura nodded, but in truth her head was blaring like a stereo put on maxed volume. Her vision was unfocused and blurry. Her ears were ringing as if a banshee was screaming her head off beside her.

"I just need to lie down for a while," she said. "Please help Sasuke-kun! He's in the dome!"

Naruto nodded and left for the dome. As he approached, a loud and bloody scream of pain entered his ears. Naruto gasped. He knew it was Sasuke's voice.

"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed as he approached the dome. He could make out Sasuke's blue shirt and dark hair. He was lying on the ground, unconscious. His body was full of needles embedding it, covering almost every inch from head to toe.

"Time for the finishing blow," Haku called out from the mirrors that were suspended above the ground, surrounding the unconscious ninja. Suddenly needles flew out from all directions, heading towards Sasuke. Naruto hurriedly appeared as Sasuke's side, and raised his palms outward.

"**Haryuuheki!"**

A transparent wall of water materialized between Naruto and the needles, effectively shielding Sasuke and himself from the attack.

"Sasuke! Wake up!" Naruto yelled as he shook the unconscious Uchiha.

"It's over for you all," Haku said. Naruto's heart skipped a beat. He knew that voice.

"I know it's you, Haku," Naruto stated. "I know your voice."

Naruto's hands came together and formed a seal. "Genjutsu Kai."

Immediately her feminine features came out, replacing all her masculine features. In response, Haku took off her mask. She smiled.

"Why?" Naruko asked.

"There is someone important to me," Haku answered. "That wants the old man dead. You are in the way."

Naruko could only be silent as she made eye contact with the girl she was with just the day before.

"I am sorry it had to come to this," Haku apologized. "I really enjoyed our time together."

"If only we met under different circumstances," Naruto stated sadly. Haku could only nod.

Suddenly Haku appeared in all the mirrors in the dome. Naruko readied her hands for a defensive technique.

Shit, she thought. I can't really move very well, so I will have to rely on my ninjutsu to fight.

"**Sensatsu Suishou!"**

A thousand ice needles condensed in the air, floating menacingly. They all suddenly launched towards Naruko.

"**Haryuuheki!"**

A wall of water appeared between the needles and Naruko, stopping their movement. Haku quickly rushed through some hand seals.

"**Suiton! Mizurappa!" **

A violent jet of water erupted from Haku's mouth, closing on Naruko and Sasuke quickly. Naruko, seeing the attack, quickly flashed through seals of her own.

"**Doton! Doryuu Heki!"**

Naruko spat earth from her mouth to the ground in a semi-circle, which promptly erupted into a tall defensive wall. The wall blocked the water attack as they collided. Naruko was already finishing the hand seals for her attack.

"**Doton! Doryuudan!" **

An earthen dragon head appeared from the ground, and fired earth projectiles towards the ice mirror Haku was currently residing in. The projectiles crashed against the ice mirror; however, it didn't even scratch it.

"It's useless," Haku announced. "Your attacks cannot hope to do anything to my mirror."

Naruko frowned.

"You know, I was holding back until now, but it seems that I would have to take things seriously," Naruko said.

Haku frowned.

"I wanted to stop you," Naruko stated. "I didn't want to kill you."

Haku reappeared in all the mirrors.

"But you leave me no choice!" Naruko declared sternly. She looked at Sasuke and Sakura. They were in need of medical aid, Sasuke more than Sakura. She would have to finish this quickly, even if it meant risking her own life.

Naruko kneeled beside Sasuke, who was clearly unconscious. A hand on his neck confirmed his heartbeat, and the young blonde sighed in relief as she readied herself for battle.

"**Futon! Touketsu-fu!" **

Haku took a deep breath, and released a gust of wind from her mouth. It hit Naruko instantly, freezing some of her skin on impact. She made an upward gesture with her hands, as if trying to pull something from the ground upwards.

A wall of earth rose up to block the incoming winds, shielding Naruko and the unconscious Sasuke from the unforgiving cold. Naruko looked at her hands. The winds already hit her, so part of her hands had freeze burns. The ends of her hair were frozen as well. Naruko peeked over the wall, but an incoming projectile made her duck back into her fortress of earth.

We have to escape the dome soon, Naruko thought. She knew that dragging the battle would be more unfavorable to her and her teammates. It would be easier to end it here and now, to minimize the damage done to herself, the bridge as well as those around her.

"You know," Naruko said as she leaned against her earthen wall. "Yesterday was the best day of my life."

Haku smiled. "It was mine too. It's too bad it's come down to this. If it were under different circumstances, we'd be lovers I think."

Naruko's eyes widened. If only they didn't meet like this, she thought. It was unfair. The best day of her life, possibly the best thing in her life so far, she was about to kill.

Haku exited the mirrors. In an instant she was beside Naruko, who didn't even flinch. Haku grabbed her face, and passionately kissed the blonde.

"One last kiss," Haku explained. "As a farewell gift for what could have been."

"I suppose that's it then," Naruko said. "This is goodbye."

Haku re-entered the mirrors as Naruko wiped the sole tear that flowed from her eyes, taking a deep quivering breath to steel her determination.

"**Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"**

Another Naruko popped into existence beside the original. No words were spoken but the clone knew what to do as she kneeled beside the unconscious Sasuke.

"**Haryuuheki!"**

The clone raised a protective wall of water around herself and Sasuke, leaving Naruko to fight Haku undistracted.

"**Katon! Endan!"**

Naruko blew a furious jet of fire at one of the mirrors. It impacted and crashed against the mirror, but did not do a thing to it.

"My mirrors are not something you can melt or break," Haku stated. Thousands of senbon rained down upon her, in an instant, giving her no time to block or react. She was a blonde pin cushion in just a few seconds.

What was that, Naruko thought. It was like she attacked from everywhere at once.

She looked at the mirrors, which had Haku in all of them. Before she had a chance to think about the attack, it happened again. Needles flew all over the place, sticking into her skin all over her body. She looked over to Sasuke, and sighed in relief as the clone was holding up the barrier, keeping him safe.

She on the other hand was not doing so well. She had to understand the technique Haku was using. There was no way in hell that the mirrors were able to reproduce another Haku, because she remembered when Haku walked out of the mirrors, all other images disappeared.

Another attack stopped her train of thought. This time she was prepared.

"**Haryuuheki!"**

The needles stopped on impact with the barrier erected by Naruko, and fell harmlessly to the ground.

There is only one original, she thought. The fact that only one Haku exited the mirror earlier is proof that there is only one Haku. The problem is how she is attacking from all sides at once. Mirrors cannot produce another original, only reflections.

"**Sensatsu Suishou!"**

Naruko could see the water coming together way above her, and formed senbons, much like the ones she used in battle. The newly formed needles flew towards her, slicing through the air quickly. Naruko dodged by rolling away to the sides.

She felt a sharp pain behind her and turned to see that Haku had embedded senbon in her back, making her look more like a hedgehog now.

"**Dai Endan!"**

Naruko inhaled deeply and blew out a giant ball of fire towards the mirror closest to her. It impacted and as ice met fire, smoke and hissing rose from the encounter. But as the hissing subsided, Naruko frowned as the mirror appeared to be undamaged.

That is some insane mirror, she thought.

Kakashi on the other hand, was still on stalemate with Zabuza. Not only was Zabuza a powerful swordsman, but he was a wonderful taijutsu user as well, matching Kakashi's every kick, punch, gracefully dodging, evading and blocking. Already they had a battle of ninja techniques, and while Zabuza knew far less techniques compared to Kakashi, man of a thousand techniques, but when he learned his techniques he mastered them completely, making his techniques come out slightly ahead and more powerful against Kakashi's techniques. Not to say Kakashi was losing, but to keep his ground in this battle was something he was finding exceedingly hard to do. Not to forget he already whipped out his Sharingan. While able to easily predict his opponent's moves one second ahead before it hit, it only applied if the user can see where the attack is coming from. And by god, Zabuza was not called the silent killer for nothing. Even in this situation, this misty day, while his Sharingan penetrated the man-made mist, his opponent was not someone to trifle with. Zabuza would sneak up behind him and attack. And the Sharingan cannot see behind unless Kakashi turned his head or spun his body. This pattern was what kept Kakashi at bay, because while Kakashi is a tad superior to his opponent, being wielder of the famous Sharingan, one of the most renounced kekkei genkai in the world, you cannot use it to its full effect unless someone makes direct eye contact with the user. And right now, with Zabuza is not making any eye contact it rendered his Sharingan a tad useless.

An ear piercing scream broke the heavy silence between them. Kakashi turned his head towards the dome, where the direction of the sound was coming from. He started to head for the dome but Zabuza blocked his path.

"Your fight is with me, Copycat," Zabuza declared as he settled into a stance.

Naruko found herself pinned against one of the mirrors in the dome; a bunch of senbon stuck into her hands and held her in place. It looked like she was about to be crucified. Her breaths were already ragged and her wound had already reopened, causing her bandages to be blood soaked, seeping through her tee ever so slightly. Haku looked at her own body. One of her shoulders was dislocated, hanging awkwardly by her side. She had burns covering parts of her torso, meaning her kimono was burned too, revealing the burns damage on her abdomen. Bruises decorated her face, and she had a busted lip which was swollen and bleeding.

"It is over," Haku said as she raised her good arm, a small blade in her hand, ready deliver the final blow to kill the injured Naruko.

"**You are useless!" **Kyuubi declared in his cage as Naruko braced for the fatal blow. Kyuubi was right. She was weak and pathetic. Not only did she almost get herself killed in battle only a week before, but now when her teammates needed her most, she wasn't able to save them.

Naruko stood suddenly in front of the giant fox's cage. His glare was fierce and full of anger. Red chakra leaked from the gaps between the cage.

"**I have no intention of dying anytime soon, so be grateful, brat, that I have saved your weak self as well as your useless teammates!" **Kyuubi roared from within as the red poisonous chakra enveloped her.

Haku looked at the trapped girl in front of her. She felt a poisonous aura emit from her, and took a step back in fear. No sooner did she did that did Naruko raised her head suddenly, revealing long feral canines and red slitted eyes. Red chakra began to envelop her body, dislodging the senbons that previously held her captive. Now she was down in all four, her hair swinging as the chakra roared and swirled around her. Naruko let out a feral battle cry.

"**Futon! Touketsu-fu!" **

A cold blast emitted from Haku and hit Naruko. But it did not have any effect. The chakra seemed to protect her. In an instant, Naruko was on her, pouncing with incredible speed and crashing into Haku like a high impact projectile. It smacked Haku through her mirror and out into the open.

Naruko came through half a second later, and was immediately on top of Haku, claws raised ready to puncture her heart. As Naruko delivered the blow that would kill the pretty dark haired girl, Haku smiled and closed her eyes.

Haku waited for the impact on her body. She was prepared for death. If she couldn't complete the task assigned to her, that would mean that she has failed Zabuza. And Zabuza doesn't take failures lightly. A death now would mean that she gave her everything for Zabuza, and she would go out with some dignity, at the very least. The impact never came. Haku cracked open an eye.

Naruko was on top of her, her eyes blue. She had no red chakra surrounding her and her teeth were no longer feral. Her hand, which was supposed to penetrate her heart, stopped an inch above it.

"Why did you stop?" Haku asked. Naruko got off her. Naruko was about to explain, when lightning sounds entered their ears.

Zabuza was caught. He was kneeling on the ground, both hands broken and held in place by a pack of ninja dogs, seemingly summoned through the ground. He was immobile and tired. He had lost the battle. Kakashi looked at his captive as his **Raikiri** charged in his hand, emitting a right lightning blue glow, as well as producing a loud lightning sound, not unlike the sound of a thousand birds chirping.

"Your end is here, Zabuza," Kakashi stated as he started charging towards Zabuza.

Haku gasped as she saw the attack Kakashi conjured up. Haku moved to intercept the attack.

It all happened within a few seconds, maybe even fewer than that. Kakashi's assassination technique connected with a body, sending blood flying everywhere.

Haku looked despair as Zabuza coughed out blood, before falling to the cemented floor, lifeless as a dead leaf.

She recalled the events that happened only just a few seconds ago.

_Flashback_

_Haku moved to intercept the attack that Kakashi had unleashed on Zabuza. No sooner as she began to move, she felt something wrap around her. _

_Naruko had used __**Suiben **__to restrain her, one locking itself around her legs, bringing them together and rendering them useless. Another one wrapped itself around her torso, pinning her arms to her sides tightly. _

_She lifted her head to see Kakashi's technique connect with Zabuza's body, penetrating his ribcage and into his heart, killing him almost instantly. _

_Flashback end_

Naruko released her hold on the young black haired beauty. The moment she could move, she rushed to Zabuza's side. Naruko could only watch from her position as she cried her eyes out and endlessly shook the dead body of the missing ninja, hoping with all her little heart that he was not dead. But it was not to be.

Naruko moved beside her, putting her hand on Haku's shoulder. But Haku slapped her hand away, before swiftly giving her a fierce slap on her cheek.

"I hate you!" she muttered under her breath, loud enough only for Naruko to hear. Her eyes were puffy and red, but it was filled with anger and hatred. Anger that she was unable to stop her master from dying, and hatred to the Konoha team, more specifically Naruko, for stopping her intercepting the technique.

Naruko's face remained expressionless as she nursed her cheek. It was an expected reaction. Afterall, she did stop Haku form saving Zabuza.

Kakashi came and restrained her.

"What happened to your illusion?" Kakashi asked offhandedly.

"It is complicated," Naruko answered. "Mr. Dog ANBU."

Kakashi laughed. "So you recognize me."

"I know who is not an immediate enemy and who is. Let's just put it that way, sensei," Naruko replied.

A distant sound of a walking cane interrupted them.

"So he failed, I see," the voice stated as he emerged from the mist. He was accompanied by many mercenaries, armed with various weapons from blades to spears and pikes, as well as axes and flails.

"I so wanted to kill him myself," the person who is revealed as Gatou stated, with a smug look on her face. Haku turned her head, showing her clenched teeth and shivering body. Her eyes glared at Gatou, and he stumbled back a bit in fear. He managed to recollect himself.

"Kill them all! The one who gets the old man for me will receive a 100% bonus!" he declared. The ninjas roared into life and started charging towards Kakashi and his group.

Haku, being restrained, could not do a thing. She struggled hard against her bonds, hoping to kill the sorry excuse of a man that has hired her master in the first place. But it was a futile effort, as the bonds head steadfast and refused to budge despite her efforts.

"Idiots like you," Naruko started. "Are worthless trash that cannot touch us."

Naruko charged forward, Kakashi beside her. They came in contact with the first of the mercenaries, and immediately blood was spilled. Naruko and Kakashi danced around their amateurish attacks, dodging left and right, delivering the killing blow easily to each and every one of them until only Gatou was left.

"I have reinforcements on the way," Gatou declared as both Kakashi and his blonde student closed in on him slowly. Their blood soaked faces gave them an evil glare which scared the shit out of the tycoon.

"Oh, were you referring to this reinforcements?" a childish voice called out from beyond the mist.

Gatou turned around, and saw what reinforcements he had counted on was beaten and swollen, tied together like a bundle of sticks. Standing in front of large gathering of armed villagers is Inari, who held in his hand a crossbow.

Gatou was lifted off the ground, courtesy of the angry blonde.

"So you're the trash who's behind this escapade," Naruko hissed out as she held Gatou by the neck. "I would have you suffer the most painful of tortures, endure the most horrible of moments, and face the most terrible things which you hope to never face, and by the end of it, death would be the only thing you would look forward to."

Gatou looked into her eyes. It was not normal. It was filled with hatred, and a sort of evil like which he had never seen before. Oh how he wished he had died just then and there. It was like meeting a demon in the flesh.

Inari looked on as Naruko held the frightened Gatou in the air like he was nothing. Gatou was squirming under her grip, but she remained unfazed.

All the while, Inari had two thoughts running in his mind. One of them happened to be the identity of the mysterious blonde and her uncanny similarity to Naruto, the other was the location of the aforementioned blonde.

His train of thought was snapped when he heard Gatou land on the floor.

"He's all yours," Naruko stated as she turned around.

Kakashi could only sigh as they pick up the captive Haku as well as the injured Sakura and Sasuke back to Tazuna's house to rest for the night.

By the dawn of the next day, Team 7 had departed silently from the Wave Country.

**List of Techniques**

**Haryuuheki – Wall of Violent Flowing Waves**

**Sensatsu Suishou - Death by a Thousand Flying Needles**

**Touketsu-fu – Frozen Wind**

**Doryuu Heki – Earth Rampant Wall**

**Mizzurappa – Violent Water Pistol**

**Endan – Fireball**

**Dai Endan – Giant Fireball**

**Doryuudan – Earth Dragon Projectile**

**Suiben – Water Whip**

**Kage Bunshin – Shadow Clone**


	10. Chapter 10

It had been three weeks since the Wave country mission. Naruto lay in his bed as he recounted the events that transpired after they left the Wave Country.

_Flashback_

_Naruko travelled alongside Kakashi and Sakura, who had a bandaged head, skipping from tree to tree in an attempt to cover more distance faster. She seemed to be swaying left and right every now and then. _

"_Sakura, are you alright?" Naruko asked, concerned_

"_Yeah, I'm fine," Sakura replied groggily. Kakashi who was carrying the injured Sasuke over his shoulders looked at Naruko as her long blonde hair flayed in the wind. On her shoulders was the unconscious body of the captive Haku, courtesy of Sakura. Even in her current groggy state, Sakura managed to deliver a hell of a punch to Haku when she couldn't shut up about how she hated Naruko for stopping her. It annoyed Sakura, so she took the initiative to buy some silence- by force. _

"_Sensei," Sakura began. Kakashi replied with a hum, implicating that he heard his pink haired student. _

"_What do we do with the rogue ninjas we bring back to the village?" Sakura finished. _

"_Well," Kakashi began. "There isn't really a specific procedure I guess, I don't know too much about it, since I am not in the Interrogation and Torture Department, but what I heard from Anko and Ibiki, the leading interrogators there are that normally we restrain the missing ninjas with special seals that immobilize them and prevent the formation of chakra. The next step would involve…"_

"_Physical and mental torture," Naruto finished for Kakashi. "They will beat your body to the ground until you are numb all over and cannot feel your body. They will cause pain to you in places that you never thought possible, and finally they will use a technique to torture your mind endlessly until they have the information they want."_

"_And if the prisoner dies halfway?" Sakura asked curiously._

"_Death is no obstacle to them," Kakashi answered. "As long as the head is still intact, we have specialists that can dig inside the brain for information that they require."_

_Sakura look slightly horrified. _

"_The Yamanakas are experts at that," Naruko stated. "Especially Inoichi."_

"_So what will happen to her?" Sakura asked, pointing at Haku. _

"_I genuinely don't know, Sakura," Kakashi answered with a sigh. _

_Konoha's gates eventually come into view, a point which Sakura happily pointed out. _

"_Put your illusion up, Naruko," Kakashi instructed. Naruko nodded and formed a seal, and within a second, her feminine features had all been replaced by masculine features. _

_Flashback_

Naruto sighed as he rolled around on his bed in his boxers and shirt. That mission took a lot out of the team, and it had reminded everyone that there were stronger enemies that could have taken them out in an instant. They needed to get stronger soon, exponentially.

He clutched his chest, putting his grip at where the scar tissue of the stab wound, courtesy of Zabuza was. It was rough against his soft skin, but it cannot be helped. He sighed as he futilely attempted to sleep. His mind kept wandering to Haku, the captive which they had brought back to Konoha.

She had been interrogated for two weeks along with the Demon Brothers, and was released into the ninja populace in the condition that they serve Konoha loyally for the remainder of their days and would agree to be under probation period of six months, in which they would not be allowed to partake in the upcoming chuunin exams held and hosted in Konoha this time.

Meanwhile, outside the borders of the Fire country, deep into the heart of the Tea Country, a man, who was as heartless and as evil as the devil himself, was plotting something big. A smirk decorated into his gray face, he walked along the corridors of his underground base as his long black hair flew behind him.

"Kabuto," he called out. A spectacled man with white hair appeared behind him, kneeling. "How is the mission I asked you to carry out coming along?"

"By my reports, Orochimaru-sama," the man, now identified as Kabuto explained. "There are no Mokuton users besides Yamato."

Orochimaru nodded. "How is the Uchiha?" he asked his aide.

"According to the reports I am receiving, he has unlocked his Sharingan, but not completely," Kabuto answered.

"It doesn't matter, as long as he has unlocked it, I can finish it myself," Orochimaru stated as his smirk increased in size.

"Finish the preparation," Orochimaru ordered. "By this time in the not too distant future, Konoha will be rubble."

Kabuto nodded and disappeared.

Back in Konoha, Naruto could feel his eyebrows twitching as he was being stalked by a SQUARE BON MOVING INT EH MIDDLE OF THE OPEN ROAD. The worst part was that the box, which was designed to look like a rock, had eye holes cut into them.

"So," Naruto asked outloud. "When are you planning to reveal yourself?"

In response, the box laughed, and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke, revealing a child, no more than eight, with a big grin on his face. Naruto could see that part of his teeth are missing, mostly due to the fact that his permanent teeth are setting in soon. A blue scarf hung from his neck, touching the floor. If he walked, the scarf would be dragging behind him. His head seemed to be donned by a helmet of some sort, but with a portion of it cut away to allow his spiky black hair to poke out.

"I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!" the newly revealed kid declared, then suddenly charged towards Naruto.

The blonde ninja sidestepped the clumsy attack and held his leg out, causing the kid to trip and fall flat on his face.

"Kid, I got training to do," Naruto deadpanned. "Don't bother me."

"I am no kid!" he declared. "I am Sarutobi Konohamaru! Future Hokage!"

Konohamaru put both arms at his waist, striking a pose as if to show he was a superhero.

"And?" Naruto asked, slightly annoyed. "What is it that you want with me?"

At that moment, Naruto could hear a distant voice calling out.

"Master Grandson!" the voice called. "Where are you?!"

Not two seconds later, a man clad in a blue long sleeved shirt and long blue pants with a blue bandana appeared beside Konohamaru. He shifted his sunglasses to hide the look he was giving Naruto, but it went unescaped. Naruto frowned.

"Master Grandson," he began with an arrogant tone. "What are you doing hanging out with filth such as this? If you want to become Hokage, you have to follow my shortcut training."

"No!" Konohamaru declared as he resisted the man's attempt to drag him away. "I want to challenge Naruto to a duel!"

"Grandson!" Naruto called rudely. It caught both the kid and the man's attention. "How do you know me?"

"I heard a lot about you from grandfather," Konohamaru answered honestly.

"Do not talk to this filth!" the man ordered.

"Ebisu-sensei! Let me go!" Konohamaru desperately cried out.

"He is so lucky to have a teacher like you," Naruto said sarcastically.

Ebisu glared at him through his glasses. "A lesson is needed."

Naruto smirked, causing Ebisu to feel insulted. "Do you think you can take me, an elite ninja of the village on and win?"

In a moment, Naruto was by his side, perching on his shoulders. "Are you sure you are elite? I fought elite before, and you, sir, are no elite."

Ebisu was genuinely shocked that Naruto manage to move that fast. He tried to swipe the boy off, but by the time his hand reached where Naruto was, he was gone. Ebisu searched frantically for the blonde, twisting and turning his body, but Naruto was already in front of him.

"Grandson," Naruto called, catching both Ebisu's and Konohamaru's attention. Ebisu stumbled as he was shocked by Naruto's proximity, allowing the blonde to swipe from under his feet, forcing his to land ass first on the hard earthen floor.

"Why are you learning from a narrow-minded weakling like him?" Naruto mocked.

Ebisu clenched his teeth.

"I am an elite!" he yelled, to which Naruto glared at him.

"An elite, you say?" Naruto continued mocking him. Ebisu looked at Naruto. He couldn't tell what, maybe it was the angle of the sun and the way Ebisu was on the ground looking up at him, but Naruto seemed to have a sinister grin plastered on his face.

"My dream is to become Hokage!" Konohamaru declared. "I want to be the best in the world. Then people will acknowledge me not as 'Grandson' but as Sarutobi Konohamaru, Hokage of Konoha!"

"You still didn't answer my question," Naruto stated. "There are at least one hundred more qualified teachers which you can ask help from."

"Grandfather said he was good," Konohamaru stated.

"Seriously?" Naruto asked. "He must be getting old."

"That's rude!" Ebisu proclaimed. Naruto's glare shut him up immediately.

"You know," Naruto said as he sighed. "This confrontation has proven something."

Ebisu and Konohamaru looked at Naruto curiously.

"Konoha is lucky to have Sandaime as Hokage," Naruto explained, earning a confused look from both of them.

Naruto squatted down to meet Ebisu at eye level. "Because small minded judgmental people like you exist far too commonly in this place. You know to blame people for something they have no say on, no control over, and at the beginning, no idea why they are hunted down like dogs and beaten to a pulp just because they contain something that they didn't know they have."

Konohamaru was confused but Ebisu was furious.

"The one that killed thousands, the demon-" Ebisu screamed but was interrupted.

"Say it," Naruto challenged. "I dare you."

Ebisu stopped abruptly. Naruto stood up.

"As expected," he spat venomously. "You are weak. You have the balls to blame me for something I have no control over, but do not have to balls to tell me why."

"Hokage wannabe," Naruto called. Konohamaru's attentions napped towards the blonde.

"Your grandfather once told me this," he started. "All ninjas of the village possess the Will of Fire, the will to protect their comrades. The Hokage had the strongest drive of them all. Only the strongest willed people, who desired above all to protect this great village and its inhabitants, no matter how idiotic they may be, regardless of what happens to him, can become Hokage."

Konohamaru nodded.

"The question is," Naruto stated as he shifted his piercing gaze to the child. "Do you possess the drive to protect this great village?"

"I will show you!" Konohamaru declared at the top of his lungs. "I will be the strongest Hokage in history!"

Naruto smiled.

"And you," Naruto said, turning his attention back to the so-called elite ninja. "Do you know why I have not killed every pathetic villager in this place who thinks like you, a narrow minded and idiotic ass?"

"The ninja of the village will stop you before you can touch anyone," Ebisu declared smugly.

"The ninja of this village," Naruto said as he smirked. "Can kill me easily, true."

This caused Ebisu to smile arrogantly. What Naruto said erased the arrogant smirk off his face.

"But I will have taken at least half of the pathetic villagers, women and children and whoever that gets in my way."

"You wouldn't dare," Ebisu spat with his lips quivering.

"I could," Naruto countered. "Starting with you, _elite._"

Ebisu clenched his teeth.

"I could, you know, but I won't," Naruto stated. "I promised the Third after all. And it's not like I hate this village. However, its inhabitants leave something to be desired."

Naruto turned around to leave.

"Which is why I said, the village is lucky to have Sandaime as Hokage."

"Naruto?" a girlish voice called out to Naruto.

"Sakura?" Naruto asked quizzically as he looked at her. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose. "We have been looking for you for the last twenty minutes. You're late for the team meeting session."

"Even sensei is there?" Naruto asked, somewhat surprised. Sakura nodded.

"Let's go then," Naruto said sheepishly. Sakura sighed and nodded.

Naruto turned back to Konohamaru.

"Remember this, grandson," Naruto reminded. "There are no shortcuts in life. Work hard and be determined. Only then do you stand a chance of achieving your dream."

"What was that about?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Nothing much really," Naruto answered cheerfully. "Just settling some idiotic problem which I have."

The village of Konoha is a peaceful place. Kabuto looked at it from a tall building. The wind swept his white bangs as they tickled his face. He smiled.

Soon, he thought. Soon, this place will be destroyed.

Six days have passed since Konohamaru had met Naruto. He was determined to show the blonde he had what it takes to become the greatest Hokage in history, not just the Third's grandson. This day he and his friends, Udon and Moegi, are running around the village, building stamina as well as training for other aspects such as dodging rubber kunai and shuriken.

Konohamaru was so focused on the projectiles his friends kept throwing behind him that he did not see the black figure in front, bumping into it as a result. He fell flat on his butt.

"Watch where you are going, brat," the figure spoke up. The next second Konohamaru found himself three feet above the ground, roughly hoisted by the front of his shirt by the said black figure.

Konohamaru took a good look at the person holding him up. He wore what seemed to be black overalls, with a bandaged structure as tall as him strapped to his back, only a wad of brown hair sticking out from the bandages. Konohamaru looked at his face. He couldn't see anything because of the heavy war paint he had on.

"Let me go, make-up man!" Konohamaru shouted.

"Do you want to die, brat?" the figure threatened.

"Be careful," a newly arrived voice said. "You are holding the Hokage's grandson."

The figure looked up. Sasuke met his gaze, while Naruto and Sakura were sitting on a tree branch nearby, chatting away.

"Kankurou," another voice called. The black cladded figure tensed as he looked up to the tree the voice was coming from. A stoic redhead with a huge gourd on his back was there. "Release him."

"Gaara, I…" Kankurou began but a look from Gaara, who was revealed as the redhead silenced him immediately.

"Sasuke, let's go," Naruto called out as he appeared beside Kankurou, causing him to stumble. Gaara was surprised somewhat, but from his treetop he did not say anything. Sasuke, who also moved to the same tree Gaara was in, smirked.

"Sensei is waiting for us," Sakura called out from beside Naruto.

"I'm coming," Sasuke said as he landed beside his teammates.

"What are you doing here anyways?" Sakura questioned. "Your headbands indicate that you are Sand ninjas, but even allied ninjas aren't allowed into the village without consent."

"We are here for the chuunin exams," a female voice sounded from the back of the two boys.

Naruto turned his head over to see a blonde woman, stout in build but attractive all the same, with her hair tied into what he could only describe as four flower like patterns on the back of her head, popped up. She had a huge battle fan strapped onto her back. She held out the official consent from Konoha allowing them to stay in the village for the duration of the exams.

"Chuunin exams?" Sakura pondered. "We haven't heard anything from sensei."

"Temari, Kankurou," the redhead, Gaara called out. "We're leaving."

The girl and the black cladded boy nodded and left.

"Wait," Sasuke said. "Give me your name."

"Who?" Temari asked, to which Sasuke pointed to Gaara.

"Sabaku no Gaara. Now give me yours."

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Gaara blinked. Once. Then he walked away.

"He is strong," Naruto commented. "Very strong."

Sasuke nodded.

"Come on," Sakura ushered. "We have to meet sensei soon."

Kakashi was waiting in the training ground. His students were late, but it didn't matter. It gave him time, for once, to think about how they were progressing as a team. He felt that they gel well together, but some rough edges still need to be trimmed out. They performed beyond expectations against Zabuza, which surprised Kakashi, but Naruto almost died as a result. While they suffered grievous injuries, they evolved as a team quickly, helping each other out constantly. This made Kakashi proud. In his hands he toyed with the official forms to enter the chuunin exams. He wondered if they were ready.

"Sensei," Sakura waved as she came into Kakashi's line of sight. Naruto and Sasuke were not far behind.

Kakashi smiled as his students arrived. He cannot stop thinking about how they have grown as a unit. He decided they were ready.

"I called you here," Kakashi began. "To let you know that I am recommending you to enter in the chuunin exams that will be held in Konoha this year."

All three students were listening intently.

"I took this long to tell you because I wasn't able to decide whether you were ready or not," Kakashi explained.

He looked at the papers in his hand. He held them out to his students a moment later.

"But now, I believe you will do fine in the exams," Kakashi finished with a smile.

The genins smiled as they received their papers. They were definitely going to kick ass in the exams.

"I guess it's time to up our training then," Sakura said as she pumped her fists in the air.

Sasuke could only smile as Kakashi nodded.

They are going to do well in the exams, he thought as his students gleamed with joy.


End file.
